Forsaken
by LeFay Strent
Summary: Kayla is a cat chimera who has recently escaped the fifth lab in Central. Now searching for the one person she trusts, how will she react when she meets a pair of brothers who teach her that not everyone in this world is cruel? AlXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello gentle viewers! I know I should really be working on my other story but this story kept begging me to write it. I'm still coming up with ideas for this story and I need to figure out where it's really going so if any of you want to give me some ideas it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure how often I'm going to update this but I know for sure that I will be updating the next chapter as late as tomorrow.**

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><p><strong>Character description:<strong>

**Name: Kayla**

**Age: 15**

**Hair: blonde with light brown streaks**

**Eyes: green/yellow eyes**

**Height: medium**

**Chimera: cat**

**Chapter 1**

I laid in my cage, staring idly at the bars that prevented me from escaping. _A bunch of stupid metal bars_, I thought. Many times I had yanked and banged against them in frustration but all to no avail. I would be doing that now but I knew how pointless it was. Plus I was tired. Not physically. Emotionally. I was tired of this whole situation I had been in for nearly four months.

_Four months_, the words drifted through my mind. _Has it really only been that long?_ It felt like much longer than that. I knew though that it was only about four months. I had been counting the days ever since I had been brought here.

_Here_ happened to be Hell. Well, my version of it anyway. If sleeping every night in a metal cage while waiting for the next round of experiments for my captors to perform on me isn't Hell, then I don't know what is.

Four months ago I had been a normal girl…sort of. I may have been a homeless kid but I didn't mind much. I never knew my parents, only that they had abandoned me. They had been nice enough to leave me where someone would find me at least. Afterwards, I was moved from house to house, from family to family, being raised by a number of different people. Some were nice at first but fate seemed to have it in for me. Something always ended up going wrong and I'd get hurt again. I got sick of it, so I ran. I've been on my own ever since I decided that the only person I could trust was myself.

Things got better after that. I may not had had a home or a family to turn to but my life seemed brighter. I began to really smile for the first time in my life. I had met many interesting people along the way as I traveled from place to place. I saw that there were people in the world who could be kind, that not everyone wanted to hurt me. Even though I never stayed in one place for too long I learned to trust people again. I may not have always had a warm bed to sleep in or food to eat but I was happy.

That all went away when they took me.

I had been walking through Central one night, searching for a place to rest until morning when _they _appeared. I didn't know who they were, still didn't really know to this day. All I knew was that they had targeted me and they took me. It didn't matter if I was willing or not. I don't think they even saw me as human. I was just another test subject for them. During my stay here, they did numerous experiments on me. I'd cry, I'd scream, I'd beg. But they didn't care. They showed me the dark side that humanity had to offer and I had long since given up hope. Given up hope on escape. Given up hope that there was anything good left in this world. My long sought after happiness had been drowned out by my screams of agony. By all the torture. By all the sorrow…

Their experiments were never complete either. I was such a good little test subject. They had been researching for a long time to make what they called the perfect chimera. I wasn't a perfect blend of animal and human but I was extremely close. They blended me together with a cat. These crazy, twisted people blended me with a _cat_! I couldn't believe it when it had first happened shortly after coming here. But now I'd had grown used to it. The furry ears atop my head, the tail, the slit eyes that I couldn't see but knew were there, my sharper than average teeth, my seemingly boneless body able to contort and twist both flexibly and gracefully, my heightened senses, the nails that turned into claws. Yeah, I had pretty much gotten used to it. I'd never get used to this place though. It helped that I wasn't alone.

Another girl was here with me, her cage across from mine. We had become close friends during my stay here. She was the star experiment in this place. She had been blended even more perfectly with her animal counterpart than I had. Looking at her, you would never be able to tell that she was a chimera. She showed no physical signs of it, but trust me. She was half fox. If she wanted, she could take on the features of a fox, even turn into a fox just as I could turn into a cat. But unlike me, she could go out into public and live a normal life. That is, if they let her go first. However, that would never happen. She had it even worse than me here. The researchers loved to study her above all others. Even so, she never broke. She stayed determined. She swore that one day she would get us out of here. That was just like her, to never give up. She had such fire, even when my flame had been extinguished a long time ago. She's the only reason that I had remained sane through this ordeal.

"Kayla." she whispered to me.

"What is it, Serah?" I asked in a bored tone.

"So you are awake." she said. I glanced at her. She was poking her head between her own set of bars, watching me with concern in her rich, brown eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Just tired." I murmured, curling in on myself.

"Why don't you go to sleep?"

"…Don't want to have nightmares." I admitted. At times, my dreams could be as real as reality and none of my dreams were pleasant.

"Don't make me come through these bars and hug you." she threatened.

I smiled. How could it be that she could make me smile even in this place?

"That's my girl." she grinned.

I laughed, and reached out to touch the bars of the cage. If only these stupid bars weren't in the way. Then we could be free. The bars were situated so close together that when I changed to my other form I was still too big to squeeze through. Being half cat was no help at all. I didn't loathe what I had become. In fact, I thought it was kind of cool. But it didn't help me here at all.

Footsteps sounded, making one of my ears flick in the direction of the door at the end of the hallway. The footsteps came closer until the door opened. All the test subjects, be they animal or chimera, reacted in the same way. We all slunk back to the farthest recesses of our cages, not wanting to be the one to be chosen.

Two researchers and five guards made their way down the aisle lined with cages, looking for tonight's victim. I wanted to hiss at them but was scared to draw any unnecessary attention towards myself.

They stopped a couple cages away. The guards opened up the cage there and pulled out a young boy covered in reptilian scales. He fought against them but it was useless. He was carried away and all the people left.

A couple of hours passed and another pair of researchers came in, this time with double amount the guards. A few of the guards stopped by the empty cage belonging to the reptilian boy and carried it away. That could only mean one thing. The boy didn't make it.

I cringed further into the corner, putting my hands on my head over my ears and closing my eyes. _I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place._

I heard the footsteps come closer and opened my eyes. The group was standing right outside my cage.

"This one." the man researcher said, pointing to Serah's cage.

"This one too." the woman researcher pointed to me.

Both of our cages were opened. Serah immediately began to thrash against the hands that held her. I summoned up some courage and followed her lead but nothing changed. We were still carried away, unsure of whether we'd be returning or not.

The ones with Serah went into one examination room while the ones holding me went into another room down the next hall. The guards took me to the table sitting in the middle of the room. They forcefully laid me down. I squirmed as I saw the man researcher readying a set of pointy surgical tools.

"No! Noooooooooooo!" I screamed. My body was going into overload, my heart beating rapidly as the adrenaline raced through my veins in terror. And I did what I always did when I was in an overly stressful situation. I switched.

That's what I call it. I don't know the correct term for it but my personality switches. One moment I'm me and then suddenly I'm like a completely different person.

I stopped squirming and stared the man in his eyes. I displayed my hatred and let the malice seep from my voice, "Let me go. Now."

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" the researcher said, coming closer with his tools.

"I'll rip you to pieces." I threatened. "I'll cut you up so finely until there isn't a distinguishable part left of you."

He paid no mind to my warnings. He even teased me, "But you're not the one with the knife."

The guards were about strap me down when a loud noise shook the walls of the building.

"What was that?" one asked, all of them looking to each other.

I took advantage of the distraction and yanked my arms free. Without missing a beat, I did a back flip off of the table. The two guards, surprised, struggled to grab hold of me again. But I had been held back long enough. I'd be damned if I let them hold me again.

I dove under the table and jumped out from under it to the other side. I pounced on the researcher and brought him down. Grabbing one of his pointy scalpels, I pinned his hand to the floor. I grinned maliciously as he screamed in pain. I didn't have time to rip him to pieces like I had promised earlier because the guards had already recovered and were coming after me. I dodged one set of arms, the man stumbling past me, giving me the perfect opportunity to bring my leg down on his head to knock him out cold.

The remaining guard drew his gun but I was quicker. I lengthened my nails and clawed his eyes out. He shrilled in agony and held his bloody face, dropping his gun in the process. I picked up the weapon as the man fell to his knees. I pointed the gun directly at his head. I knew I would feel no remorse for what I was about to do.

Suddenly, I felt another shudder run through the building. My instincts were screaming for me to run. So that's what I did. I discarded the gun and sprinted out of the room in the blink of an eye. And not a moment too soon. The entire room collapsed behind me as I jumped into the hall. Dust clouded the space, causing me to cough and sneeze. Using the wall for support, I climbed up to a standing position. I looked around and was shocked to find that not only the room I had been in had completely caved in but a large section of hallway had too, blocking off the passage.

I took in a few deep calming breaths. I had switched back to normal and shock was setting in. Ever since I had come here the switches had begun. I didn't think it was because I was a chimera now but more because of the many ordeals I had been put through. Switching was my body's way of coping. I was still me when I switched but I became incredibly calm but angry at the same time. In that state, I was braver, fearless even. That side of me was practical and did what needed to be done without ever blinking an eye. The evidence of that could be seen at what I had almost done to that guard. I had never killed anyone, never even wanted to. Not even with how much I hated these people I couldn't bring myself to kill someone. But my other side was more than willing too. And I had no control over when I switched and what my other side did. And that terrified me more than I could say.

The building rumbled again, threatening to collapse at any moment. I shook off the shock to deal with what was at hand. Like escaping! Escaping sounded like a good idea. I had no idea what was causing the cave ins but I could work with this.

I took off down the hall that wasn't blocked by the rubble. I was thankful that the side leading to Serah wasn't blocked off. Now I could find her and we could get out of here.

As I raced down the corridor, sirens began to wail. The lights flickered as the electricity began to fail. Then I was immersed in total darkness. I paused, attempting to use my other senses. My hearing was no good due to the shrieking sirens. I'd have to use my nose and smell her out.

I didn't have to. The emergency lights came on, casting everything in a red glow. My eyes quickly adjusted and I resumed my search for Serah.

I spotted her room when another _boom _shook the walls. I stopped, trying to keep my balance and not fall down. Then an even louder _boom_ came about, followed by an explosion from one of the rooms between me and Serah's. The blast knocked me off my feet, sending me skidding on the floor.

My ears were ringing as I pried my eyes open. I was still in one piece at least. I sat up and immediately regretted it. My stomach clenched as the world spun. I held my head, willing my vision to right itself. The nausea passed after a minute and I was able to stand without wanting to puke.

I was covered in dust and was a bit banged up but that was no concern. But the wall of flames stretching across the length of the hallway? Yeah, that concerned me. There was no way past them. That meant I couldn't get to Serah's room. I could see the door to it plainly though. Which opened.

Something came tumbling out. I smiled as I realized what it was. Serah was wrestling with one of her guards. She knocked him to the floor and promptly bashed the guy's head into the hard surface, rendering him unconscious.

"Serah!" I cried, waving at her.

She looked up and saw me. She grinned, getting up and jogging towards me.

"There's my kitty!" she cheered. "Do you have something to do with all this ruckus?"

I laughed, "No, but it seems like someone is doing us a big favor."

The wall of flame was dying and soon we would be reunited. But life is cruel. It gives you a spark of hope and you blindly take it, making it all the more painful when everything comes crashing down.

In our case that was literal. The ceiling, already cracked, couldn't stay up any longer. It fell through, right between Serah and me, effectively snuffing out the flames and separating us. I jumped back to avoid the debris.

"Serah!" I yelled over the sirens. I scanned the rubble for a weak point, any place I could break through.

"Over here!" her voice came to me.

I hurried over to the side of the rubble where a small hole was. I looked through it and could see most of Serah's face on the other side.

"How are we going to move all of this?" I asked helplessly.

"I don't know." she said, looking around for anything that could be of use on her side. But she came up with nothing. "The other end of the hall is blocked too. I'm boxed in here."

"I have to get you out." I said.

"I-" she cut off as she looked behind her.

"What is it?" I asked, not liking this.

"Someone stepped out of one of the rooms." she spoke, almost too soft to hear. "And he's got friends."

"I'm getting you out of there." I said, pulling at the debris. There was so much of it though. There was no way…

She turned back to me, "Don't even try it."

"What?" I stopped in surprise.

"You'll just waist time trying to save me. Go. Get yourself out before this whole place comes down."

"I'm not leaving you." I said definitely.

"Get you're ass out of here! I won't have you die pointlessly. You know how I hate pointless things."

I heard shouts as the guards must have just noticed her. Serah looked behind her and back to me. She swiftly smiled, "I'll find you." Then she was gone. I could hear the sounds of fighting.

"Ser-" I was interrupted by another _boom_ that had me stumbling all over the place. Then another explosion occurred somewhere on the other side of the rubble. Everything shifted and now even the small hole was gone.

"Serah!" I screamed. I wanted to pound against the obstruction, tear it away with my claws, but the ceiling above my head groaned. Time slowed down for the next couple of seconds. I weighed out my options. If I stood here I would be crushed. But then I would lose all chances of getting to Serah. If she was still alive. But I could see I didn't have enough time. And so, thought it pained me, I turned around and ran the other way.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I ran down the hall, tears streaming down my face.

Everything was coming down, the ceiling, the walls, the entire building. I had to get out of here.

I found an empty office that was still in one piece. I rushed over to a window and tried to push it up. It wouldn't budge. Desperate, I grabbed the heaviest object I could find and hurled it into the window. The glass shattered and fresh air drafted in.

I jumped through the opening, avoiding the broken glass. I landed on the ground outside and didn't stop there. I raced off into the night.

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><p><strong>So, if you haven't guessed by now this story starts out at the same time Ed and Al go to the fifth laboratory and that's why everything things all explodey. If you like this story so far please leave a review. If you think it's stupid leave a review.<strong>

**In the next chapter Kayla meets some familiar faces so stay tuned! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I living up to my promise and updating the second chapter! From now on, I have no idea how often I'm going to be updating. I will try to get out a chapter every week but when school starts back up I may only have time to write on _The Blood Alchemist_. But if I can't update every week on this I will definitely update every other week. I fully intend on finishing this story so bear with me!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"I didn't think it would be like this." I murmured to myself. Whenever I had envisioned being free of that prison, I always pictured myself filled with joy. I felt no joy now. Only guilt and anguish. I had left behind the only person I had ever truly cared about. Serah and I, we had become as close as sisters during our time together. And I had just left her behind. True, she had told me to, but that didn't matter. There had to have been something more I could have done. Anything other than leaving her there. And now I didn't even know if she was alive.

"This sucks." I muttered to myself.

As if I didn't have it bad enough, it started to rain.

I looked up at the clouds with narrowed eyes, "I take that back. _Now _it sucks."

I had never liked the rain before I had become a chimera and turning half cat did nothing to improve my nonexistent love for rain. It was wet and only mad me colder.

Before long I was soaked and freezing. The only clothes I had on was a tattered shirt and shorts. I must have looked a sight, wandering around the streets of Central, water dripping from my clothes, hair, and ears. I had been sticking to the alleys to avoid confronting other people. Not many people were out and about this early in the morning. The sun was only just beginning to rise. But there were a few and they wouldn't simply look past a girl dressed in the wrong kind of clothes for this cold weather, with cat features no less. It was better if I remained in the shadows where no one could see me.

It had been months since I had been outside and on my own. I wasn't sure how to deal with it. There was nowhere I could go. No one I trusted. I was on my own. Heh, the story of my life.

I trudged through the rain aimlessly. Central was a big city and there were lots of alleys for me to wander up and down. But soon I got tired. This time it was more than emotional tiredness. I was cold, wet, and hungry and all I wanted to do was curl up in a nice warm place to go to sleep.

I decided to change into my other form. I never enjoyed transforming. It wasn't a comfortable process. But if I turned fully into a cat then I would be covered in fur and wouldn't be so cold.

I changed, my clothes falling limply to the ground. In my other form I was much smaller but the fur was very welcome. I padded away from my clothes and ducked under a nearby bench. Now that I was out of the rain I could lay down and get some much needed sleep. I shook out my fur first, droplets flying off of me. Then I circled around a couple of times and laid down. I didn't think I would be able to fall asleep so fast but I was out in seconds.

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><p><em>Three days…<em>the thought drifted through my mind. It had been three days since I had escaped. It had been a long three days at that and I was not enjoying my freedom as I should have been.

Being out in the rain for so long that first day had mad me sick. I had been progressively getting worse too. I hadn't done much other than sleep in odd places around the city. I stayed in my cat form, only moving when I needed to find food. I'd go scrounge around garbage cans. Nasty, I know, but necessary for survival. It wasn't that bad. What was bad was how sick I was. I could barely do anything, my energy bar was so depleted. I'd sneeze every once and while. And I swore I was running a fever.

And then, as if the world wanted to see me suffer, it started to rain again.

"Why me?" I asked. My question came out as a pathetic meow.

Two people were passing the bench I was under. One of them must have heard me because they stopped. The other kept on walking. I stared at the one who had stopped through heavy lids.

I watched as their feet stepped closer, making odd clanking noises. Was it just me or were those metal feet?

The person kneeled down and looked under the bench. My eyes widened a fraction as I saw that the person was indeed wearing a suit of armor…Huh.

"Hello there." he greeted me with an echoey voice. "What are you doing out in the rain?"

"Sulking miserably. You?" I said back. Of course it only came out as meows.

"Come here." he reached under the bench for me.

I tensed up. I didn't know this person, therefore I didn't trust them. I'd actually lived most of my life on the basis of not trusting people. People, no matter how nice they seem at first, always hurt you in the end. Always. That's why I didn't want this guy touching me. But I was too sick to even move and was helpless to stop it.

He picked me up and stood. I shivered as the rain began to pelt my small body, feeling like needles as they hit.

"Let's get you out of the rain." he said as he opened up the chest plate of his armor to stick me inside. I didn't want to go inside. I was afraid I wouldn't come back out. But, again, nothing I could do about it.

He placed me inside and, to my utter shock, there was no one inside. The suit of armor was empty. I looked around but there was absolutely no one.

"I bet you're hungry. We can find you some food later." he promised. The voice was just that, only a voice. The sound bounced off the interior of the armor, appearing to have to origin. How could that even be possible? Was the armor…haunted?

"Al! What's taking you so long?" another voice asked from somewhere outside the armor. The voice was that of a guy who sounded about my age.

"Sorry, Brother. I got distracted." the suit of armor, who's name was Al I concluded, apologized.

"Well, come on." the other said.

The suit of armor began to move as they began walking. It wasn't the most comfortable ride but I managed. I wanted to hiss at this guy to let me out, but I just didn't have the energy.

_How did I get here?_ I wondered to myself. I had went from my prison in the labs to a pair of brothers, one of which was a mysterious empty suit of armor.

_At least the suit of armor sounds nice_, I thought. Then I chided myself. I drudged up the memory of everyone else I had met that had _sounded nice_ at first. No. This guy was just like the others. People were cruel and that included this guy…if he even was a people.

"Stupid rain." the voice outside the armor muttered. "Can't it go rain somewhere else?"

I agreed with him on that at least.

"We need to get back to the hotel before you get sick." Al worried.

"I'm not gonna get sick over a little rain." the brother said confidently.

"You only got release from the hospital yesterday. You're still recovering. Don't push yourself, Brother."

_Hospital?_ I wondered. Did the brother get sick a lot or something? Or had he gotten hurt? Probably, these brothers were up to no good and he had landed himself in the hospital of his own accord. My motto was to assume the worst of people. That way, you're not surprised when you find out how cruel they are.

"You worry too much, Al. I'm fine." the brother assured.

"If you say so." Al said as if he didn't believe him.

That was the last thing I was aware of before I went to sleep.

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><p>"Finally." someone said, waking me up.<p>

I opened my eyes, confused. I was about to freak out when I realized what I was in. _The suit of armor_. I was still with those brothers.

"You should probably get some rest." Al told the other person who I assumed was his brother. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." the other said halfheartedly. Then he added, "But I guess I am a little tired."

I could hear movement. The armor moved too, sitting down somewhere.

_Where are we?_ I wondered. _The hotel they mentioned earlier?_ I should have never fallen asleep. I had no idea what had happened between then and now. That had been extremely careless of me. But I had been so tired. I was still tired.

Nothing seemed to be happening, so I strained my ears to take in my surroundings. There were barely any sounds. Just the sound of someone breathing. I listened as the breathing became slower and deeper. Someone, probably the brother, was falling asleep somewhere in the room.

"I think he's asleep." Al whispered. "You can come out now." The chest plate opened and a hand reached in. I froze up as the hand picked me up and sat me down on the floor. "Try not to be too loud or you'll wake Ed up." he said. I got the feeling that Al didn't want this Ed guy to know I was here.

As soon as I was free of his hold, I ran for the nearest cover I could find. The coffee table was closest and good enough so I hid under there.

The suit of armor leaned over to look at me, "What are you doing under there? I won't hurt you."

"I'm not taking any chances." I meowed back.

"I know!" he said and then he was gone. He came back a minute later and leaned over, "Here. I bet you're hungry."

I stared at the plate he sat down on the floor. It had pieces of meat and bread on it. My stomach growled just looking at it. _No_, I told myself sternly. _It's probably poisoned. _But then, why would someone want to poison a cat? I shook my head. People didn't need a reason to be cruel. Some did it just for the fun of it.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked. "You can't eat from under there."

I stubbornly ignored him. I would have turned my back to him but I didn't trust him to be out of my sight.

He sighed and went back to sit on the couch.

_That's it?_ I asked myself. He's not going to try to convince me further? Drag me out from under here? Strangle me? Cut me open? None of that?

I didn't know what to think. I sat there, staring at the food. The smell wafted towards me and I inhaled deeply. It smelled good.

I unconsciously took a step forward. Then I pulled back. _What am I doing? I can't eat that! I can't trust him. I can only trust myself_.

_But it looks so good, _my weaker side informed me. _And I'm so hungry._

"Tough luck." I said coldly to myself.

Minutes passed and that plate of food got increasingly tempting. Was it just me or was it calling to me?

"Eat me." the pieces of food begged. "You know you want to."

"Shut up." I glared at the food. "I don't need you."

My stomach growled as if to tell me I was wrong.

"You shut up too." I told my belly.

More minutes passed and my stomach was twisting painfully with hunger. I took another unconscious step towards the plate then stopped. I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed in my head, _What should I do!_

_Eat it_, my stomach growled.

And I couldn't take it anymore. I crawled over to the plate and bit down on the first piece of food I could reach. It was some kind of meat and was very tasty. I practically breathed it in and went on to devour the rest of the food.

I heard a soft chuckle and froze. I looked up at the suit of armor who was still sitting on the couch.

_He poisoned it!_ I immediately thought. And now he's laughing in victory because I'm going to die soon.

"You look so cute." he said.

_…Cute?_ That was why he was laughing? Did that mean he didn't poison it?

I looked at the rest of the food and decided I was done. Even if he hadn't poisoned it I didn't want to test my luck. Which was stupid because I had just eaten most of it. Curse me and my hungry belly!

Now that I had eaten something I felt much better. My eyelids began to droop as exhaustion set in. With the hunger gone all that was left was my tiredness.

_I can't go to sleep here_, I warned myself. There's no telling what they could do to me. Then again…I had fallen asleep earlier and was okay. In fact, this Al had given me food and had gotten me out of the rain.

I shook my head. There I go again, playing right into his _kindness_. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to stay on guard. I wasn't safe. I couldn't rest here.

My body thought differently. It wanted to jump up on that comfy looking couch and go to slumber land. I had to force myself to stay where I was while fighting off sleep.

All the while, Al watched me. What did he make of this strange cautious kitty sitting in front of him shaking her head?

I tried to distract myself by scanning the room for the first time. Definitely a hotel. The room was large enough to hold the couch, a chair, the coffee table, two beds, and a nightstand between the beds. That was about it. On one of the beds a figure lay. I could make out his dark clothes and light colored hair. The brother, I guessed.

"That's Ed." Al introduced me, noticing my staring.

I glanced back at the armor, eyeing him carefully. Why was he acting so nice? What was he planning? My tail twitched back and forth nervously as I considered.

"Do you have a name?" he asked me, not expecting to receive an answer.

At first I wasn't going to answer him but then I nodded.

Al gasped, "Did you-did you just understand me?"

This time, I didn't answer. I licked my paw as if his words were lost to me.

He laughed at himself, "What am I thinking?"

"I have no idea." I meowed at him. I licked my paw and ran it over my head and ear, like you've seen a million cats do. When I got bored of that I walked around the room, investigating my surroundings. The door leading out of the room was shut so escaping was a no go. I'd have to stay here until one of them opened the door.

I went over to the other bed and jumped onto it. I tried to convince myself that I simply wanted a higher perch so I could keep watch better but that wasn't completely true. The bed was too alluring. I couldn't resist. And as soon as my paws hit the cushiony surface I collapsed. I found myself rolling into the blanket, closing my eyes and allowing a low purr to escape.

A chuckle made me snap to my senses. I sat up and looked at Al who was watching me.

"Don't mind me." he said.

"How can I not." I said. I couldn't get comfortable, knowing these guys were around. Even if one was sleeping and the other was across the room on the couch. But then, that's just what I was doing. I was sinking farther into the blankets, my body relaxing.

I couldn't fight it anymore. I hadn't had a real bed in ages. I was warm and no longer hungry. I couldn't fight off the exhaustion any longer. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>When I first got the idea to write this I imagined Kayla completely different. When I began writing it her personality kind of came about on it's own. I didn't think she'd be so paranoid or have a split personality at times but I think being stuck in a lab for four months and experimented on would cause that to a person. And I know it didn't show in this chapter but Kayla will switch more in the future. I also never intended on Serah even being there but I threw her in on a whim. Now I'm glad I did because I like her character. Maybe I'll have to bring her back to life now, cause you just know she couldn't have escaped that explosion. Right? Or maybe...hee hee.<strong>

**Please, oh pretty please, if you have suggestions for this story please let me know in a review. I'm open to just about anything. And if you review I will give you an oreo ball. No seriously, I just made two big batches of oreo balls yesterday and let me tell you, my oreo balls are beast. When you eat one it's like an explosion of chocolaty goodness in your mouth. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I've been writing on this**_ **a lot**_** so I'm updating sooner than expected.**

**So, anyone heard of the Waka Laka song? I listen to it literally for hours and hours. It's more addicting than crack! I highly recommend it.**

**Props go to my new editor, Rokuchuchu. He's been scheming with me over this story. That's right, _two_ evil geniuses are working to make this story all that it can be. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I came into consciousness slowly, not wanting to wake up. I frowned and rolled over. I had no idea when the researchers would be coming again and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible.

That's when I remembered I wasn't in the lab anymore.

I opened my eyes, wondering where I had fallen asleep. I was on a bed. How did I get on a bed?

I looked around and yesterday's events came back to me. I had been taken in by a couple of brothers and was in their hotel room. The one called Ed was still asleep on his bed and Al was still on the couch where I had left him. He was reading a book, unaware that I was awake.

I could hardly believe it. Nothing had happened to me! I was still in one piece. They hadn't taken advantage of my defenseless state. But…why not? Why was I still here? I was dumbfounded.

I sat up, my gaze shifting between the brothers. Who were they really? What was their purpose here in Central? Why had Ed been in the hospital? And the biggest question in my mind, why was Al an empty suit of armor?

The morning sun filtered in through the drapes and a ray fell on an object on the nightstand, making it shine. I looked at it. Hm…shiny.

I walked across the bed, keeping an eye out for both brothers. Neither of them noticed me. I stopped at the table to inspect the shiny item. A pocket watch. It must have been Ed's. It was silver and had a design on the front. The picture was that of the symbol of the country.

My eyes widened as I realized what I was looking at. I had never seen one before but I knew what this was. It was the pocket watch issued to State Alchemists.

I looked over at the guy sleeping soundly on the bed. He seemed to be about my age but he was in the military!

A sound escaped me and I stumbled back, nearly falling off the bed. Al looked over at me.

"You're awake." he said, closing his book.

_Oh, no_, I thought, panicked. I had to get out of here. Fast! If these guys were with the military I was in deep trouble. I may not have known everything that had been going on at the lab I was being held at but I did know that the military was involved. I had seen soldiers there before. These guys were probably with them. Did that mean they knew? Did they know I was a chimera? Was that why I was here? Were they planning to take me back?

"Do you need to go outside?" Al asked me, standing up.

"…_Meow?_" I asked. He was willing to risk me going outside? Did he care if I tried to get away or not? I just didn't understand him. But I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.

I jumped down and went over to the door, waiting for him to open it.

"Okay." Al said and opened the door. I darted out into the hallway and prepared to slip away. But I hesitated. Which way was I supposed to go?

"This way." Al told me, going down one hallway.

I had no choice but to follow him. Besides, I'd need someone to open the door to get out of the building.

We made it to the door and he opened it. He stepped back to let me go first. Why? What was he up to?

I jumped outside. I didn't know exactly where in Central we were but the street and buildings looked pretty ordinary. I took my chance and ran across the street.

"Wait for me!" Al called after me.

_Not likely_, I thought. I got across the street and used a nearby tree to climb up to the roof of a building. Once there I glanced back down at the suit of armor. He stopped below, staring up at me.

"So you're leaving then?" he asked me.

"Duh." I said, though he only heard me meow. No way was I sticking around, waiting for them to take me back to that prison. Some may call me paranoid. I prefer the term cautious.

"Well then, be careful." he said, waving at me.

My ears flicked in uncertainty. _Be careful_? Why would he tell me that? As if he actually cared whether I would be okay or not.

"Bye." he said as I jogged away across the rooftops.

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><p>"I just don't get it." I told myself, walking down the sidewalk on all fours. I couldn't get what had happened out of my mind.<p>

I was more than a little surprised that Al had let me go. He had even told me to be careful. It just didn't make any sense. The more I tried not to forget about it the more I thought about it. The mystery of these brothers intrigued me.

Thanks to the food Al had given me and the good night's rest I was feeling better than I had in a long time. I was even in a good mood too. I wasn't going to go so far as too say that Al was a good person. People aren't good. In everyone there is the ability to do evil deeds…even me. But, the suit of armor had seemed okay. 'Seemed' was the operative word there.

"Stop thinking about it." I frowned. "You'll only give yourself a headache. And then you wouldn't be able to enjoy this beautiful day."

The rain clouds were gone and the sun was shining. The temperature had risen and was pleasant. It really was a beautiful day. The sun shone down on me soothingly and I wanted to feel it's rays in my other form. I was tired of being in my cat form. I had been a cat for days. I missed regular old me…Well, as regular as I got.

That meant I was going to have to find some clothes. My other clothes had been left in the alley I had transformed and God only knew where that was. I would have to find a way to acquire a new outfit.

I wandered passed the stores that lined the streets. I found one that sold clothes. It was closed and better yet, someone had forgotten to close the back window.

_Purrfect_!

I leaped up onto the sill of the window and squeezed through the opening. Inside, there was lots of selections for me to choose from. No one was here so I was free to do as I pleased.

I changed back to my human form. I had been in cat form for so long the process was slower and hurt more than usual, but it couldn't be helped. After I had completed the change, I plundered the store. And yes, even though no one was there to see me I still felt exposed, being naked and all. I quickly found clothes that fit me, making sure to get a jacket that had a hood to cover my ears. The hoodie was yellow with dark brown stripes running down the arms. The pants were simple cargo pants, sandy colored. I wasn't used to wearing shoes anymore but I found a decent pair.

I was all set now. I could cover my ears with the hood and if I stayed in its shadow no one would notice my eyes. My hair was tucked into the hood as well so I didn't have to worry about people thinking how unusual the stripes were. The bangs that fell over my eyes couldn't be helped though and I hoped they weren't too noticeable. My tail was a bit concerning but I was able to hide it by wrapping it around my waist under the hoodie. Now I appeared to be an ordinary teenager. That made me laugh.

I snuck back out the window and resumed walking the streets. I had proper clothes and was no longer sick. But what did I do now?

There was a nearby park and I drifted over to one of the empty benches. I sat there, contemplating my life.

I could find Serah. Maybe she escaped the lab that night. She could be walking around Central at this very moment looking for me. Then again, she had been boxed in and that explosion had been loud. How could she have possibly survived it? I didn't want to think of her as dead but I couldn't think of any way she could have gotten out alive. Would I ever see her again?

Her last words ran through my mind. "I'll find you." she had said. Did that mean she fully intended on getting out of there alive and finding me? Had she had something up her sleeve to escape?

What had happened that night in the first place? Something had obviously gone wrong for the researchers, but what? Those explosions hadn't caused themselves. What state was the lab in now?

Should I leave Central? Before I had been taken away and turned into a chimera I had traveled from place to place, always on my own. I had no attachments in this city, except for the possibility that Serah may be here. I may have always been cautious of other people but not Serah. She was like me. Not only was she a chimera but we had been through so much together. I knew I could trust her.

Thinking of her, I missed her terribly. I wanted to see her. I wanted to know that she was okay. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I would have prayed but I didn't believe in God. Life had forsaken me and had given me no reason to believe. So, in the end, I had absolutely nothing and no one to turn to.

I hung around the park for about an hour more. As the day inched towards afternoon, more and more people came to this place. I watched these people while staying inconspicuous. They all seemed happy, or at the very least content. Families had picnics at worn picnic tables. Pairs who were obviously coupled strolled down the paths leisurely. The older ones tended to sit peacefully at benches and gaze at the birds that flew by.

I got caught up in it. Everyone seemed to be so happy. Like they had a purpose in life and were happy because of it. I let myself wonder what sort of lives these people led outside of this park. Were they good? Bad?

I gave up guessing after the park began to get too crowded for my liking. It was better for me to avoid crowded places so I left. Besides, a couple of people had already given me odd looks. I guess I did seem pretty strange, sitting there, people watching while hiding in my hood, looking like a stalker.

I stuck close to the alleys again. As I walked aimlessly down them I fidgeted with my "borrowed" clothes. My ears and tail weren't exactly comfortable. They were begging me to let them out into the fresh air but that would mean either risking exposure or turning back into a cat. Neither of those options sounded very appealing to me.

"What should I do now?" I asked myself. My thoughts from the park came back to me. Serah may still be out there somewhere. What if she was depending on me finding her? At the very least, I had to know for certain if she was alive or not.

Just as I made the decision, my kitty senses began to tingle. I heard before I saw a couple of guys run into the alley. They were too busy looking behind themselves to notice me. They were closing the distance at a fast pace and I knew they weren't going to see me in time. They were going to plow right into me!

My heart leaped into my throat as I froze in fear. I panicked in silence.

That's when I switched personalities.

The moment before they touched me I jumped up high and, in a sweeping kick, hit both of their faces. They went flying back onto the ground. They grunted and moaned, struggling to get into sitting positions. They glared up at who had knocked them down and were surprised to find a young girl. Needless to say, they were still angry. Especially when they saw the smug smile on my lips when I took in their bloody noses.

"You little bitch." One of them grunted. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"If you had been watching where you were going then you imbeciles would have seen me in the first place. It's not my fault you don't use your eyes."

They didn't take that well. They hauled themselves off of the ground and came after me. The one who had called me a bitch threw a punch at me. I ducked and grabbed his wrist with one hand and used my other to tossed him over me and into a bunch of garbage cans. The other one tried to attack me but I swiftly used the heel of my hand to strike his already bleeding nose, efficiently breaking it. He howled and stumbled back. I didn't stop there. I raised my leg and kicked his stomach. He bounced off the wall, his head crashing audibly into the unforgiving brick.

The one I had knocked into the trash cans thought he could pull a surprise attack on me. He enclosed me with his arms and squeezed. My cat instincts took over and I bit him. My sharp teeth had no problem piercing his flesh and I tasted his blood. He cried out and let me go. I twisted around and socked him in the face. He staggered and was defenseless. I placed my hands on the ground and flipped my legs upward. They descended onto both of his shoulders and I caught his neck with my ankles. I effortlessly brought him down and that's where he stayed.

I stood back upright and snickered, "Who's the bitch now?"

My eye caught a glimmer of something and I glanced away from the man. Beside him, lay something silver. The man must have dropped it while we were fighting. I leaned over and picked it up. It was a pocket watch.

I switched back suddenly as I realized who this pocket watch belonged too. And, as if on cue, two people appeared at the mouth of the alley.

"Did they come this way?" the shorter one asked.

"I think so." the taller one answered. He looked around and found me standing in the middle of the alley. "Brother, look."

It was the brothers. It shouldn't be too surprising that I had run into them again. I hadn't strayed too far from the hotel where I had left them.

"Uh-oh." I whispered to myself, replacing the hood that had fallen during the fight back securely on my head. I hoped that the two jerks hadn't noticed my ears. The brothers at least hadn't noticed them in time.

As they approached me, my heart began to dance in my chest. Should I run for it? Or would that be too suspicious and cause them to follow? Could I withstand a simple conversation with them? Would they be able to tell that I was different?

My breath quickened as I thought through these questions. My body was threatening to switch again and I willed myself to calm down. It wouldn't be good if I switched back right now. I was still appalled at what my other self had done to the jerks. My regular self didn't know how to fight and didn't want to, ever. But that didn't seem to matter to my other self. That side of me knew how to use herself to hurt others and was completely unbothered when it did. In fact, she enjoyed dishing out these beatings. I, on the other hand, was disgusted at myself and more than a little frightened.

"What happened here?" the small one asked, glancing at the unconscious bodies. I gazed at him as he gazed at them. This was the one called Edward. I hadn't seen him before except for when he had been sleeping. His features were golden and, for a small guy, his expression seemed unapproachable. I had a feeling that he would be the confrontational type.

Edward's eyes widened as he stared at the jerks, "These are the bastards that stole my pocket watch!"

"What happened to them?" Al asked. He looked to me for an answer.

"Um, I kind of found them like this. Well, wait, no. They kind of found me." I stammered.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, eyeing the guys. "Man, whoever did this beat the crap out of them. I wouldn't want to run into him."

A form of laugh came out of me. They both glanced at me in question. I explained, "It wasn't a guy who did this to them."

Edward's eyebrows shot up, "You mean to say that _you_ did this?"

His incredulous expression grated my nerves. "They underestimated me because I was a girl. Don't make the same mistake." I may be my regular self at the moment and I abhor fighting but I wasn't opposed to threats. Albeit, empty ones.

His eyes widened and he laughed, "I wasn't trying to be rude or anything. I'm just surprised that you took them out in such a short amount of time. We were right on their tales and you must have disposed of them in fifteen seconds flat! You must be a great fighter!"

He was saying that like it was a good thing. It annoyed me. And why was he laughing?

"But why did you?" Al asked me, inquiring as to why I had beaten the living daylights out of the jerks.

_Because I can't control my dark side,_ I said inwardly. Aloud, I said, "They attacked me first. They had it coming but I suppose I did go a little overboard." I looked away, embarrassed for some reason. I realized that I was still holding the watch. The best thing to do would be to give it back to its rightful owner. And since the owner happened to be standing right in front of me…

"Here." I held the watch out by its chain. The boys looked at it confusedly. "This is yours, right? One of them had it on them. You mentioned something about them stealing it?"

Edward grinned and took the watch from me. I stayed still, not flinching as he took it. _I have to remain calm_, I told myself. _With his belongings back I can leave now_.

I was about to do just that when Edward said, "Thank you."

"Yes, that was very nice of you." Al chimed in.

I simply stared at them. My mouth hung open for a second before I remembered that I shouldn't open it too far, lest they see my extra sharp teeth. I closed it but my puzzlement remained. _Why did they thank me? Why did they say I was nice? What was up with that? These guys were supposed to be dogs of the military. Weren't they supposed to be…meaner than this?_

"My name's Edward Elric." Edward introduced himself. "But you can call me Ed. This is my little brother, Alphonse."

"We're pleased to meet you." Al nodded.

Hold on…They were introducing themselves? Why? What game were they playing? And why would they be pleased to meet me?

Then I recognized what Ed had said. I glanced over at Al and scanned him up and down. "Little brother, huh?" I asked out of sheer curiosity. I am a cat you know. Curiosity and cats go hand in hand.

Ed became peeved and grumbled, "_Yes_. I'm the older brother."

"Brother," Al chided him, "You can't be angry with her for assuming."

"Who says?" Ed sniffed and turned his head away, arms crossed.

Al sighed.

Their interaction with each other…I found it amusing. My ear twitched under my hood as I suppressed my amusement. I hoped they didn't see it.

"Anyways," Al ignored his irate brother. "Is there some way we can thank you?"

I cocked my head to the side, "For what?"

He chuckled, "For returning Ed's watch back safely, of course."

The way he said it, it was as if it were expected that they repay me somehow. That it would be strange for them not to. I didn't think like that. I thought the other way around.

At my hesitation, Al elbowed his brother to get his attention. Ed looked up and sighed, getting over his irritation. "Yeah, I'd be in serious trouble if I lost my watch. Is there anything we can do for you to show you our thanks?"

I think I went into shock. Never in my life had anyone treated me like this. Everyone I had ever encountered had some agenda behind their fake smiling faces. They always wanted something from me or to hurt me. All people were like that. That's what I had always believed. There may have been a time when I could think that there were some good souls in this world but that had changed when I had become a chimera and was trapped in that lab for four months. The horrors that place had shown me had forever changed me. But these brothers…they seemed different. The way they acted threw me for a loop.

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

They glanced at each other and both of them laughed heartily.

"For one," Ed began, quieting his laughter, "We're alchemists. We live by the rule of equivalent exchange. You did us a favor and now we owe you one."

"And for another, it would be rude of us not to offer." Al finished for him.

I could almost understand this rule of equivalent exchange. But not what Al had said. He made it sound like they cared if they were rude or not. Like hurting my feelings would be the last thing they wanted. Was it true? Could they be that considerate?

I shook my head, coming out of my thoughts, "No, there's nothing." I turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Wait a minute!" Ed called after me.

I stopped, fear skittering down my spine. _Did they figure out what I am?_ I wondered and glanced back over my shoulder.

"At least tell us your name." Al pleaded.

I stifled my bewilderment and fought to keep my face blank as I asked, "Why?" That seemed to be the question most on my mind when it came to these two.

"So we can remember you." Al responded.

Remember me? He wanted to remember me? What purpose did it serve if he remembered me? I just didn't understand.

I was so stupefied that I stuttered my name before I could stop myself, "K-Kayla." Before I said anymore, I left.

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><p><strong>Yay! They finally meet in her regular form.<strong>

**I'll update this upcoming weekend, so have no fear my kitties. And for those of you who are fans of _The Blood Alchemist_ I'm sorry but I will no longer be continuing that story...just kidding! I'm updating that this weekend too.**


	4. Chapter 4

** I really like this chapter. Things are progressing very nicely. I can't wait for the…oh wait I shouldn't talk about that. Don't want to tell you guys too much.**

**I had a hard time writing this though because my laptop keeps_ biting _me. I need to train it better.**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

For the next couple of hours I was plagued with thoughts of the Elric brothers. My first impression of them and the way they acted collided together. It made no sense. _They_ made no sense. All I could think about was them as I lounged on the branch of a tree, high up enough to be away from the public's eye. I had my arms crossed behind my head as I lay on my back, staring up through the canopy of leaves and into the starry night. The leaves would move subtly as a breeze rolled by. A mild shiver ran through me but it wasn't so bad. Being cold was the worst of my troubles. I had to figure these brothers out and what their motives were.

Then I remembered what I had decided shortly before my run in with the Elrics. I was going to find out what happened to Serah.

Immediately, I felt guilt course through me. I had forgotten about the one person I cared about all because of these brothers. I was so focused on them that I hadn't even thought about Serah in _hours_. And here I was, still thinking about those boys. I was hopeless.

I was about to jump from the tree and get to work when I thought of something. How exactly was I supposed to go about finding Serah? If she had escaped then she could be anywhere in the city. She may have even left Central altogether. But, if she hadn't managed to escape but was still alive, how was I going to free her from the lab? I had no idea where it was. I had run blindly away from that place and hadn't looked back. Even if I was willing to go back there, I wouldn't be able to find it if I tried. I was in a pickle.

I laid back down on the branch with a groan. "Where are you Serah? What would you do in this situation?" I sincerely wished that she was there to answer me. As night crept in I yearned for her presence. We had spent countless nights talking with each other, comforting each other, even occasionally laughing with each other. We had been together for the most part for four months. Between us, she was the strong one and I missed her strength, her fire. She had an unbreakable spirit like no other. And was the only truly kind soul I had encountered in my life.

_But those brothers…_I thought. _What if they're like Serah?_

I frowned at myself. No. There was no way that they could be like Serah. These guys, they were military. They were probably encouraging the research in the lab the entire time.

_But they were nice_.

No. No one is ever nice without a reason. There's always something more. They wanted me to think that they're nice for some reason. Have me trust them and then take me back to the lab. That had to be it.

_They were kind of funny_.

I smiled, remembering. Then I grimaced, closed my eyes, and smacked my forehead. "It doesn't matter if they were funny. They can't be trusted. I can only trust myself. And Serah. I have to find her no matter what."

The question was, how would I do that?

Then I had a thought. An epiphany even. I wanted to reject the idea but it was just too good.

The Elrics, they were State Alchemists. They were military. The military was involved with the lab. Maybe, if I followed them they could lead me to an answer. I could maybe find out what happened to the lab and perhaps find Serah along the way.

Hope. Hope fluttered within me. I knew I shouldn't hope but the feeling was there, begging to be acknowledged.

"I might be able to do this after all." I said to myself in wonder.

I hopped out of the tree, landing on my feet. I began to stalk down the streets of Central, searching for that hotel the Elrics had stayed at. With any luck, they might still be staying there.

I surprised myself when I found the building. It hadn't taken me that long and I was pleased with myself. Then the fear rose within me as I considered going through with this.

_I could be falling into a trap_, I thought. _Or what if they find me out?_

"But this is the only lead I have." I said to myself. "I have to. For Serah."

That settled it. I would monitor the building and when they left (if they were even still here) I would follow them and see where they took me. I could have perhaps transformed and stayed in the room with them but I wasn't brave enough to do that.

I went to the tree across the street and lithely jumped up in a tall branch. It didn't matter that I was in my human form. Climbing was just as simple a task for me. I would wait there, and hope that Ed and Al were still here.

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><p>To my relief, the Elrics were still staying at the hotel. I stayed up most of the night, only catching snippets of sleep. That was fine though. The cat in me enabled me to work functionally without only a minimal amount of sleep. So I was wide awake when they exited the building.<p>

They were bickering. If the short blonde's body language wasn't enough to inform me then I could tell by their conversation.

"There is nothing short of strapping me down to a chair that will get me to drink that vile stuff. And don't let that give you any ideas." Ed was telling his brother.

"But how else are you going to get any taller?" Al asked him teasingly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET THAT'S NEVER GOING TO GET ANY TALLER?" Ed shouted very loudly. I didn't need cat hearing to hear him that time. "Just so you know Al, one day I'm gonna be taller than you."

"How can you say that when you won't even drink milk?"

"I'm not drinking it!" Ed yelled with finality and stomped away. Al shook his head and followed.

A grin enveloped my face. They were actually fighting over milk! It was hysterical! And by the way they acted I could tell this wasn't the first argument they had had over it. That was priceless!

They were getting farther away.

"Oh, right." I said, hopping out of the tree. "Focus on the mission."

It wasn't hard at all to stay conspicuous. I tailed the brothers, blending in with the late morning crowd. I kept my distance from them but they remained in my sights at all times. It was easy really…Too easy.

_What if they know I'm following them?_ I asked myself. They could have seen me before. Maybe they were leading me somewhere and I was falling for their trap. But somehow, I didn't think that was likely because they arrived shortly after at their destination.

"Food." Ed said with a one track mind. I think he may have even been drooling as he stared at the restaurant. Him and Al went inside.

I hesitated outside. Do I dare?

Apparently yes. I do dare.

I went in after them. It was the only way I would be able to hear what they were saying. And I could watch them more easily. I would also be taking a higher risk but, you do what you gotta do.

I made sure they weren't looking anywhere near the door when I walked in. They were sitting in a booth on one side of the room, talking amongst themselves. I quickly found a empty booth on the other side of the room, picking up the menu that sat on the table and placing it in front of my face.

I was lucky the place wasn't too crowded. If it had been then it would have been harder tuning into the Elrics' voices. But the room wasn't so deserted that I stood out.

I listened carefully to what they were discussing. Something about a man named Hughes and his picture obsession. Nothing really of use to me.

A waitress appeared at my booth. She offered a smile and asked, "What can I get you?"

"Uh," I murmured, glancing down at the menu. Although many of the options sounded appealing, I had no money to spend. "I'm waiting for a friend of mine." I lied. It wasn't a smooth lie either. It sounded too nervous.

But the waitress just smiled perkily and said, "'Kay. I'll come by later then." And she left me to myself.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I paid attention to the brothers once again. They went on to order their food. Well, Ed anyway. Al ordered nothing. That wasn't too surprising. He couldn't really eat. Or, that's what I assumed anyway. Hm…

I peeked over my menu, eyeing the suit of armor. I wondered for about the hundredth time what he really was. There being no real body didn't appall me. I had seen stranger things in my life recently. But that didn't keep me from speculating this mystery. What was the story behind the Elric brothers?

A waitress brought Ed his food. I watched as he devoured the whole plate, chatting with his brother. They didn't talk about anything of importance. I began to think that this was a waste of time. And a little bit creepy. If I didn't find anything out I might have to give up altogether. If not because of the risk, because I felt weird stalking them.

I thought it would be a good idea to leave ahead of them so I did. Before they had paid their check I left. They didn't look at me once, for which I was thankful.

Outside, the day had turned cloudy. I glared up at the puffy cotton balls floating in the sky. "Where's my sun?" I whined. The only answer I got was distant thunder. _Great. More rain._

I turned to walk down the sidewalk but didn't get too far. A street vendor popped out of nowhere, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hey there, pretty lady." he greeted me congenially. "How would you like to check out some of my jewelry?"

"No thank you." I managed, trying to walk by him without a scene.

He stood in my path once again, "Come on, now. It'll look nice on you and I'll even sell it at a discount."

"No." I said more determinedly.

I think this man was deaf because he persisted as if I hadn't spoken, "I'm sure you wouldn't be able to resist if you took a look."

I tried to step around him but still, he continued to annoy me. My frustration meter was through the roof. I was still close to the restaurant and out in the open. I needed to get away and this guy prevented me from doing so. The whole thing completely stressed me out.

Unfortunately, my stress was _too_ great.

I switched.

"Leave me the hell alone before I knock your lights out! You damn pest!" I screeched. I was able to see a flicker of shock spark in his eyes before a hand gripped my wrist.

I acted on instinct. I turned and kicked at the same time. The person behind me went flying backward, landing hard on the sidewalk.

"Brother!" a familiar voice cried.

I switched back suddenly as I recognized them.

"Oh crap!" I squeaked.

Before me were none other than the Elric brothers. Edward had been the one who had grabbed my wrist and had felt the wrath of my foot. Al leaned over him, concerned. The street vendor seemed to disappear. Probably running away like a coward. I wished I could do the same but I stood frozen, stunned at what I had just done.

Ed sat up, muttering, "Go to help a girl out and what does she do? Kick me to the ground."

"I…uh…" I had no clue what to say. I stood their, wringing my hands.

Ed glared up at me from where he sat, "What the hell did you do that for!"

"Sorry. It was instinct." I apologized. Then I thought, _Why am I apologizing? It was his fault he scared me._

"Pretty strong instinct you got there." Ed groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"Hey, it's you!" Al said all of a sudden, looking at me.

Ed stopped rubbing his abdomen and stared at me as well, "You're that girl from yesterday. Kayla."

_Crap! They recognize me! This is not good!_

"I, uh, yes." I stammered.

"Good to see you again." Al said happily. Then he glanced at his brother, "But I don't think Ed thinks the same thing."

"You try getting kicked in the gut." Ed retorted, standing up.

"Was there…something you wanted?" I asked.

While Ed dusted himself off, he said, "We saw you arguing with that guy and were going to see if you needed help. But it looks like you can take care of yourself."

My brows furrowed, "Why would you do a thing like that?"

Ed and Al looked at each other at my question. Al was the one who answered, "Uh, because it's good to help others."

After a moment, I said, "You guys are strange."

"Says the girl who goes around kicking people." Ed muttered.

I ignored that, "You're supposed to be State Alchemists. You're not what I expected from State Alchemists."

Al laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not a State Alchemist. Just Ed."

"You're not?" I asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

"No. Though people often mistake me for my brother."

Ed narrowed his eyes, "Cause some people are idiots."

I cocked my head, confused.

Ed explained, jabbing a thumb at himself proudly, "I'm known as the Fullmetal Alchemist. You may have heard of me. People who have refer to me as the 'Hero of the People'."

I narrowed my eyes. I had never heard of him. And it sounded like to me he was trying to make himself look like a good guy. It was so obvious.

But before anything more could be said or done, I heard a scream. It was too quiet for normal ears but it was still there and my animal hearing picked it up without a problem. I turned to face the direction of it.

At my change of mood, Al asked, "Is something wrong?"

I heard the scream again. It sounded like someone was in pain.

I sprinted in the direction of the screams. I know I should have been running away from these sounds. I could possibly be caught up in something that would result in me getting hurt. But the sound of someone in pain was not something I could ignore. How many times had I screamed in absolute agony, desperately wishing that someone would come and save me? Too many to count. And now someone else was calling the same cry. There were no more bars holding me back now. I could do something about it. And I would.

I raced down the sidewalk, making twists and turns. My feet barely felt like they were hitting the pavement. I must have been a blur to others as I used my unnatural speed. The pedestrians I passed looked at me oddly but I paid them no mind. I was focused on my objective.

I found the origin of the screams in a deep network of alleys where perhaps no one would have heard them. But I did. There was a girl who couldn't have been any older than eight being assaulted by three men. They slapped her across the cheek and she smacked into the wall behind her. She looked back up at her attackers, fear showing through the form of tears. Another one readied a punch that was sure to knock her out.

I switched for the second time that day. One thing that both of my selves had in common was a sense of justice. This girl had no way to defend herself and was outnumbered by three guys three times her size. I don't know what she had done to incur their anger or if she had done anything at all. But I had the urge to protect her. I didn't know her but she was just a child. Children are innocent, precious beings that need to be protected from the horrors of this world. When I was a child there had been no one to protect me. This girl would not suffer the same fate as I had.

I appeared in front of the men just in time to catch the punch aimed at he girl's face. They all gasped in surprised. I held the man's fist in my hand firmly, staring at them with cold eyes. In one movement, I bent his wrist back to the breaking point, snapping it like a twig. He screamed and stumbled back. The one to my left took a swing at me but I ducked and countered. My blow was off a little but it still hurt him. With my attention on this one, the other one was able to blindside me.

I was knocked backward into the wall. The girl was crouched on the ground, crying. One of the men went to attack me while the other raised a crowbar he had grabbed out of nowhere, ready to hit the helpless girl. I dodged the one swinging at me, his fist hitting the brick of the building. I jumped in front of the girl, bringing up my arms to shield me. The bar hit my arms, nearly breaking them. I winced and was unprepared for the third guy who had gotten over his wrist being broken. He kicked me in the head. I went from a kneeling position to flat out falling over.

My hood fell off but that was the least of my concerns. I could only think of protecting the girl. But I admit, my hood falling off worked in my favor. The three men stopped their attack, gaping at the furry ears on my head. They didn't even see Ed and Al coming at them.

Of all the things the brothers had done this shocked me the most. They had come to my rescue, protecting me from these jerks. All I could wonder is, _Why? Why would they save me?_ Could the reason they had for saving me be the same reason I had for saving the girl?

I stayed by the girl, letting the Elrics brawl with the men. I had to admit, they were good fighters. They didn't even break a sweat while they fought. It was a bit hypnotizing, watching them.

I dragged my eyes away from them to look over the girl. She had bruises but there didn't appear to be anything broken or bleeding. _Poor girl_, I thought. She reminded me of myself, even if we looked completely different. She had a dark skin tone, dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. But to me, she shined with brilliance as she stared at me in awe. From my eyes, to the light brown stripes in my blonde hair, to the cat ears on my head. She took it all in with bright eyes.

I couldn't fully decipher her expression. Was she looking at me with fear? Did she think that I was a monster?

"And stay down!" Ed yelled.

I looked up. The men had all been beaten up to bloody pulps. Ed had yelled that as the last one went down for the count. So he was looking at the guy and hadn't noticed me yet. Al had. He stared at me with glowing orbs. He gasped, "Brother!"

"What?" Ed asked, turning around. He looked from Al to me. His eyes widened as he went from my face to where my ears sat up at the top of my head. "Wha-?"

I felt someone embrace me and I glanced down to see the girl hugging me. If I had still been my other self then I might have reacted violently at the sudden gesture. But I had switched back the moment the brothers had arrived and was more rational.

"Thank you." she said and smiled up at me.

This girl…she showed no fear. She had seen me for what I was and had not run away. She had accepted me and had even embraced me in gratitude.

A genuine smile graced my lips. I patted her head, smoothing the brown curls there. My eyes softened as I gazed at her. "Stay safe." I whispered to her. I gently disentangled myself from her and stood. I took one more look at the brothers. They were staring at me in astonishment. My cover was blown. I had to flee.

And flee is what I did. I ran away from them. They called out for me to wait but I did not. I did not wait to see what they would finally do after they got over their shock. I was scared of what would happen if I did

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><p><strong>My favorite part was when Kayla kicked Ed. I was going to put that in the last chapter but when I wrote it I forgot to put it in and didn't realize it until after I wrote it. Ah well. I like it better here anyway.<strong>

**I love me some reviews so bring 'em on!**

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	5. Chapter 5

**I meant to update on this last weekend, I really did, but then they dragged me away to a mental hospital where I was trapped for _eight long days_. I just got out of the nuthouse yesterday. I was thinking about updating though, the entire time I was in there. And now that I am finally free I can finally post the newest chapter. Yippee.**

**I have no idea if I'm going to be updating on this next weekend. I need to catch up with my writing. But I will try to make my best effort to update next weekend. You know, unless I get taken back to the nuthouse.**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this. I heart my editor!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Ed and Al were unable to follow me. Or they didn't try but I was betting it was the former. I think I may have gotten to the other side of the city before I stopped running. When I was sure they had no chance of finding me, I found a secluded area to rest and catch my breath. Now I stood on a bridge, staring down at the water passing underneath.

_They saw me_, I thought. _What will they do now that they know I'm a chimera? Surely they'll take action against me. If they see me again I'm as good as dead. I can't follow them anymore. It's way too risky._

But that begged the question as to what I would do now. If I tried to find Serah on my own I doubted I'd get very far. Same thing with the lab. All I had to go on were the Elrics and now…

I sighed heavily, slumping over the railing of the bridge.

_I could try to find other military people to follow around_. Central was crawling with soldiers. I could probably find one to stalk for awhile. But where would I find another State Alchemist? I hadn't seen anyone other than Edward and I thought that a State Alchemist would be my best bet. The scientists who had worked in the lab, a lot of them were alchemists. Probably even State Alchemists. I needed a State Alchemist to get my answers.

"This sucks." I murmured.

Then it starting raining.

I scowled up at the sky, "Is it going to rain every time I say that?"

The clouds didn't back down. They pelted my face with water.

I abandoned the bridge in search of shelter. I found somewhere to get out of the rain and stood there, waiting for the weather to clear up. The last time it had rained like this Al had found me under that bench. He had taken me in and given me food at the hotel…The hotel…Hm…

I started thinking. The Elrics had seen me. They knew I was a chimera. But they wouldn't suspect an ordinary looking cat. Or at least, I hoped not. I could keep tabs on them in cat form. More dangerous, yes, but necessary all the same. Plus, they might still be out and about in the city. I could take this time to snoop around their hotel room. I don't know what I would find but there was a slight chance that there would be something. I was going to take that chance.

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><p>I became a scarredy cat on the way there.<p>

"I can't do this." I moaned, laying my head down on the table. I was currently in a cozy little restaurant. That was two food places in one day. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. I was starving, and smelling the other customers meals was not helping. I wasn't in the rain anymore though. That was something.

"Sure you can." someone told me.

"Huh?" I looked up. It was a waiter. He was smiling down at me. It was kinda creepy.

"You can do it. Just pick up that there menu, pick something, and order it. It's simple really."

I shook my head. Not too much though. I didn't want my hood slipping and letting people getting an eyeful…Like other people I knew had earlier today. "I don't have any money. I'm just here to get out of the rain."

"Oh." he said thoughtfully. "Then I'll get you a meal on the house."

"What?" I blurted. "Wha-Why would you do that?"

He smirked, "Well, to be honest your stomach is growling so loud that it's scaring away some of the customers."

"Really?" I asked, glancing around the room to see if it was true.

He paused for a moment. Seeing that I was serious, he laughed, "I was just joking with you."

"Oh." I said, not getting what was so funny.

He smiled again, "But you do look hungry and I can't just sit by and let someone starve to death. It would be bad for business."

Words of protest were about to leave my mouth but he left first. I sat back, eyes wide. "Huh."

He came back minutes later, a plate in hand. He sat it front of me. I stared down at the delicious looking sandwich, my stomach growling. Then I looked back up to him.

He laughed at my expression, "It's not going to bite you."

"Th-thank you." I succeeded in saying.

He waited for a moment and frowned, "I know I had to explain how to order food but do I really have to tell you how to eat too?"

"I, uh, no." I said, picking up the sandwich and biting into it. It was good. I had no qualms against eating this food. There was no reason for this person to harm me. Plus, I could smell it and nothing was fishy about it. I was pretty certain it wasn't poisoned. Again, you say paranoid, I say cautious.

"Good." he nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.

"Wait." I said, swallowing down my mouthful.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend."

"What?" I responded in alarm. I hadn't expected that.

He laughed, "Don't worry. I was just teasing you. What's your question?"

"Um…do you know about a guy. His name is Edward Elric."

He scratched his head, "You don't mean the Fullmetal Alchemist do you?"

I nodded.

He smiled, "Yeah I've heard of him. He's pretty big back East. I know most State Alchemists are dogs of the military but he's one of the ones that live by the rule of 'be thou for the people'. They say that he's still a friend of the common man. I've got an uncle in Youswell that said he practically saved the town."

Wow. Apparently Edward hadn't been lying. And neither was this guy. I knew he wasn't because he had no reason to. "So…he's not evil then?"

He chuckled at how oddly I phrased my question, "No. He's one of the good ones from what I hear. Does that answer your question?"

I nodded and thanked him. He smiled and left me to my own devices. I munched on my sandwich. _One of the good ones, huh?_

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><p>After what that waiter had told me I decided to go ahead and go back to the hotel. It was much harder to find it than it was last time. For one, I had run far away and had gotten myself lost in an unfamiliar area. For another…Central was just that big. It seemed like an eternity before I discovered an area that looked even vaguely familiar. I searched past buildings, matching up the places in my mind to see if I was going the right way. Then I kind of stumbled upon the hotel and the treasure hunt came to an abrupt end.<p>

I went inside and down the halls, finding the correct room without a problem. I put my ear up to the door, listening. There was no one inside.

"Perfect." I purred. The door was unlocked. Very careless of them. Who knew when a…cat burglar would sneak in…hee hee. I think I was enjoying myself more than I would admit.

The room appeared exactly the same as when I had been here last. Everything was neat and orderly. The beds looked inviting to my sore and tired body but I ignored them. I snooped around, digging through drawers. I searched the lone suitcase. Nothing of importance. The only things left were books and they were of no importance.

"Come on." I whined. There was absolutely nothing I could use. I expected some sort of files or something I could use. But for all my troubles I had turned up nothing.

My ear flicked, picking up footsteps from down the hall. There were two of them. And one of them had the sounds of clanking armor.

"Oh no." I gasped. I ran to the window and tugged at it. It wouldn't budge. The stupid thing was stuck.

"No, no, no." I chanted. I had to act fast or they would find me.

I dove into the closet and shut the door back firmly. If they opened the door to the closet I was done for. The only thing I could think of to do was transform. I slipped out of my clothes and stuck them on the top shelf out of sight and wasted no time in transforming. All the while I could hear the brothers return to their room.

"Did you hear that?" Ed's voice asked.

I finished changing into a cat, incredibly dizzy from the hurried transformation. But my fast thinking paid off because the door to the closest opened.

I looked up. Edward looked much bigger when I was in cat form. He stared down at me in confusion. Then his eyes narrowed, "Al. What did I tell you about cats? We can't keep them."

Al looked over his brother's shoulder, "Hey! You came back!"

He sounded so cheery. All I could do is meow. Then hiss as Ed picked me up roughly and handed me to Al.

"Go put it back where you found it." Ed commanded.

"But Brother. It's raining outside. It would be heartless to take her out there." Al objected.

"We can't keep a pet. You know that." Ed remained steadfast.

"At least until the weather clears up." Al tried to reason with him.

Ed had his arms crossed and a determined expression on his face. But he glanced down at me considering. I tried to glare at him but in my cat form it was a moot point.

"Fine." he sighed. "But just until it stops raining.

"Yay!" Al cried happily. He raised me up to his helmet. "You know, you remind me of someone we saw today.

If I had been standing on my own I think I would have fallen over and had a heart attack. "There's a reason for that." I meowed. I squirmed until he sat me down. From there, I jumped onto one of the beds. Ed had already tossed himself on the other one.

"Brother?" Al began. "What are we going to do about that girl?"

I flinched, watching them as they decided my fate. Now I was really glad that I had turned back into a cat. If they would have found me in my regular form…I shivered just thinking about it.

Ed sighed, "I'm not sure. But you saw her as well as I did. There's no question about it. She's a chimera."

Okay, really don't want to be here anymore. This is bad. Really bad.

"Do you think she's from the fifth lab?" Al questioned.

Just the mention of that place sent a thrill of fear through me. So they did know about it. I had assumed right. They were working with those people all along.

"Has to be." Ed answered. "I didn't think that anyone would be able to escape from there. She must have gotten out before everything caved in."

My ears drooped down as I felt myself falling into a bottomless pit of despair. The whole place had caved in? They didn't think that anyone had gotten free? Was I the only one then? Did that mean Serah…

I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. Al sat on the bed next to me and began petting me. I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore. My one purpose in my life for months had been to escape from that horrible place. And I had done that. And lately my purpose in life had turned into a mission to find Serah. But now all of that was over. She was gone…forever.

"I wonder if she's scared." Al thought aloud. My ears perked up to listen to him. "She's been trapped there for who knows how long. We know that they got most of their test subjects from the prison next door, but she didn't look like a bad person to me. She was about our age."

"Who knows where those sick people got all of their victims. But your right. She definitely wasn't a prisoner. I don't think a prisoner would be nice enough to save a little girl like she did."

I opened my eyes to peer at the boy on the other bed. He placed his arm over his eyes tiredly, "But if she's not careful the military will catch her again. And you know what would happen to her if that happened."

Al nodded. I understood too. They would lock me away and do experiments on me. I shuddered at the thought.

Ed seemed sad, lost in his thoughts. Al noticed and asked, "Are you thinking about…?"

"Yes." Ed answered. I didn't comprehend what they were talking about but whatever it was it depressed them. "We've got to find her and help her before the military gets to her first. After all, we're the reason why she's free in the first place. It's our responsibility."

I shot up. _They _were the ones who caused that explosion on that fateful night? They're the reason why I was no longer trapped and put through those awful experiments? They were the ones I had to thank?

I jumped over onto the other bed and walked right up to Ed. I placed my paws on his chest and stared down at him. He moved his arm to peek at me, "What is it?" He reached for me with his other hand and stroked my back gently.

"You're the ones who saved me?" I asked but all that came out were a couple of meows.

"I think she likes you." Al teased his brother.

Ed smiled, "Who doesn't?" Then he frowned at Al, "Don't answer that."

I laid down where I was and allowed him to continue petting me. Cats couldn't cry but inside I was. There were no tears but I was crying all the same. Part of me was mourning over the loss of Serah. The other part of me was having an internal fight with itself. This part of me was the cautious part of me that always told me that I couldn't trust people. But, what seemed like centuries ago, there had been a time when I did trust people. There had been kind families who would take me in on cold nights. Give me a place at their table and a bed to sleep in. The mothers would smile at me like I was their own daughters. And I believed that there really were people who could live happily, without violence and misery. People like this, I learned could be trusted. The brothers reminded me of the people from those days. That part of me kept telling me that I couldn't trust them, no matter what. But I couldn't ignore the facts. They were the ones who had put a stop to the experiments and had freed me. I had watched them for days and I hadn't seen a single ounce of evil intention in them. Just the opposite. They were kind. They had come to save me when I had fought to save that girl. Maybe…maybe I was right. Maybe they were like Serah, who only wanted to help me and be there for me. And maybe, just maybe, I could trust them.

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><p>(-Serah-)<p>

Her body ached as she struggled. She was losing her strength but she would not give up. She would not simply roll over and die. She was a fighter. She would continue to fight with everything she had. Though, she didn't have much left to fight with, she had to try.

Serah raked her claws across the arm that held her up by the throat. This elicited a hiss from the arm's owner and Serah was shoved back. She tripped and fell but came onto her knees quickly. It took all of her power to jump out of the way of his next attack. Sparks flew, lighting the darkness. The ground exploded where she had just been.

Breathing heavily, Serah attempted to escape. But all she could manage was a crawl. Her vision was blurry and she bled in more places than one. She knew that if she didn't think of something quick she would lose this battle. Serah was a cunning girl but even she couldn't think of a way to stop this guy. He was stronger than her. Fighting him had taken all of her might. She couldn't even keep her human visage up. She now had pointed ears on top of her head, her hands remained claws, a bushy tail had sprouted out but remained limp, even her hair had turned a deeper shade of red. She thought about transforming fully into a fox and trying to get away like that but the process took too long and would disorient her more than she already was. Her chimera side wasn't much help here. In fact, it was the reason she was in this mess in the first place.

He kicked her into a wall where her body thumped against it and slid to the ground. She gritted her teeth, trying to find some leverage to get back up again. He stepped over to her and pulled her up by the collar of her shirt. She stared into his red eyes and knew this was the end.

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><p><strong>Hm, mysterious point of view change there at the end. It seems Serah's alive...but not for long. Mwahahaha.<strong>

**Please review or I might go crazy and be sent back to the mental hospital again and miss my next update.**


	6. Chapter 6

**What's this?...Could it be a... NEW CHAPTER? WHOO!**

**I'm really getting into writing this. I had originally intended to write and post this story after I finished TBA but now I'm so glad I didn't wait because I'm enjoying writing it so much! I do admit though, it is a struggle to juggle two fan fics at once, not including Frog War which I should really be working on, and posting short fics every now and then AND I've even begun working on a new fan fic. Yeesh, I need to finish a story already. But I will not, I repeat, will not post anything from the newest one until I finish one of these. If you're curious the new one is going to be a EdXRoy story. Yes, I know I'm demented. Blame Taylor. She's the one who corrupted my mind.**

**Anywho. I want to thank everyone that read and/or reviewed this story or any of my other ones. You guys rock and inspire me!**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this. I heart my editor!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

(-Kayla-)

The next morning I woke up where I had fallen asleep: on Ed's bed, next to him. He remained sound asleep and that's the way I wanted to keep it. I moved cautiously, as not to stir him, and jumped off the bed. On the floor, I shook myself.

Last night had been rough on me. Hearing the news of Serah's probable death had shaken me to the core. I had fully let my guard down and even accepted comfort from the brothers. I admit, their presence had given me relief, but this morning was another story. My barriers had slid back into place. Once again, I was wary of the Elrics. I know, last night I had thought that I could trust them, but I had been caught in a moment of weakness. Not anymore. I had to stay alert. I had to remember that I trusted myself first. Always.

"Morning."

"_Mew!_" I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Sorry." he apologized.

My cat eyes narrowed to slits at the suit of armor sitting on the couch.

"Would you like some breakfast?" he asked to make up for scaring me.

Instantly, my stomach growled. I ignored it, sitting down and turned my head away from him snootily.

"Aw, don't be like that Miss Kitty. I didn't mean to upset you."

"_Meow_." I mumbled irritably.

"You don't mind if I call you that, do you? Since I don't know your name or if you have one."

If I had human shoulders I would have shrugged. It didn't really matter what he called me. It was formal and sweet though…Wait, sweet?

"For the love of Gate, would you stop talking to the stupid cat?" Ed groaned from his position on the bed.

Okay, maybe it did matter what I was called.

I hissed at him, my fur spiking up. Ed peeked out of one golden eye, "What?"

"I think you made her angry." Al said.

"Like I care." Ed rolled his eye and closed it back to go to sleep again.

It didn't surprise me when I switched. I saw it coming and let my other self take over. And boy was my other self pissed off. I thought about scratching that lovely face of his but then I devised a better plan. I leaped up to the bedside table, landing beside Ed's shiny pocket watch.

Hearing my movement, Ed opened up the same eye to stare at me. He opened up the other eye in alarm when I picked up the chain in my mouth.

"Hey! That's mine!" he shouted, reaching for me. I jumped down and away from him and ran off with the prize. "Get back here!"

_I don't think so_, I thought. I jumped onto the couch and up onto Al's shoulders. He stood up in all the commotion but I stayed tucked onto his shoulder.

Ed attempted to climb up Al to get to me but his brother held him back.

"Come here, you little-"

"Brother calm down!"

"Not until I get my watch back and wring that cat's neck!"

"Maybe if you just apologized she would give it back."

Ed stopped fighting and just stood there, staring at Al, "You…want me…to apologize…to a cat?"

Al nodded.

"You're crazy!" Ed exploded. "I'm not apologizing to a damn cat!"

I hissed at him.

"Manners." Al reminded the raging blonde. "Miss Kitty is our guest and you should treat her with more respect."

I think if I was in my human form I would have smiled right then. In fact, my other self was fading away, along with most of my anger. I was back to my normal self. Well, as normal as I got anyway.

"Get real, Al. Cat's don't have feelings. It's not like she can understand what I'm saying anyway."

"Then why is she so angry with you?" Al countered. "I think if you just told her that you didn't mean to insult her then she would forgive you."

"I wouldn't have to if I just took it from the little fur ball." Ed grumbled.

Al crossed his arms, "Brother."

Ed rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. He looked up at me where I was waiting patiently on Al's shoulder, watch dangling out of my mouth. "Like it's really going to work." Ed muttered and then began, "I'm sorry I insulted you. Happy now?" Al nodded approvingly.

I thought about keeping the watch away from him out of spite but I let it slide this time. I hopped off of Al and sat the watch beside Ed. Then I jumped onto the coffee table out of reach.

Ed's brows rose as he picked the watch up, "I can't believe that actually worked."

"I told you she understands you." Al said. "Right, Miss Kitty?"

"_Meow_."

Ed rolled his eyes again and dismissed the whole thing, "Whatever." He plopped back down on the bed.

"Brother, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Nope." Ed replied.

"You're supposed to go see Colonel Mustang today."

"I don't wanna see that bastard."

"You have to." Al argued.

"No." Ed stayed planted where he lay.

Al turned to me and asked hopefully, "Miss Kitty?"

I caught on and was happy to oblige. I jumped onto the bed, or more specifically, onto Edward himself. And yes, my claws were out when I landed.

"Yow!" Ed cried out. Before he could knock me off I scurried away and back to Al's side.

"Good kitty." Al praised me.

Ed gave us an dark look, "Never again am I letting you keep another pet."

"That's okay." Al said good naturedly. "I like Miss Kitty. She's the perfect cat."

"Yeah, perfectly evil."

"Get up already or I'll sic her on you again." Al warned.

Ed mumbled a few choice words but wisely got up and got ready.

"There." Ed griped, ready to go. He didn't wait for Al and swiftly left the room.

Al shook his head and sighed, looking down at me. "What am I going to do with him?"

"_Meow._" I replied, which in human language meant, "I have a few ideas."

"We better go catch up with him." Al said. Before I could comprehend what he was doing, he had already picked me up and had opened up his chest plate to place me in. I let out a sound of surprise. This was not what I wanted. I did not want to be trapped in Al's armor, especially if they were going to see some colonel. I didn't need any attention from the military and anything could go wrong. But Al had shut his chest plate back already and I had no way to get out unless he opened it himself.

"Try not to make any noise, okay Miss Kitty?" Al asked. "We don't want anyone to hear you, especially Brother. He'll be angry if he finds out that I let you tag along."

That's exactly what I wanted to do: make noise and try to claw my way out of this cage I was in. I wanted to yowl my loudest until he let me out. But, then Al would get in trouble with his brother. And, for some odd reason, I didn't want him to get in trouble because of me. So I kept quiet.

Al and Ed barely said anything as they walked. They stopped for something to eat and Al kindly snuck me some pieces of food. After that, they went on to their destination. Wherever that may be. The sounds outside of Al's armor changed and I recognized that we were inside a building. People bustled up and down the halls and rooms, a few of them greeting Ed and Al. Eventually there was a woman that greeted the brothers and told Ed in a stern voice that the colonel was in his office. Ed and Al thanked her and went into a different room.

"Good morning, Fullmetal." a deep voice greeted silkily.

"Good morning, Colonel Bastard." Ed replied insultingly.

I expected the colonel to retort angrily but he went on as if Ed calling him a bastard was an everyday occurrence. "How have you been doing since the fifth laboratory incident?"

"Glad to know you care, Colonel." Ed teased. "I'm all fixed up now and I would ask if you have a new lead on the stone for us but there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Really?" I could imagine the owner's voice quirking an eyebrow at this.

Ed's tone changed to a serious one, "It's about lab five actually."

"…Go on."

"Do you think that it's possible that anything managed to escape the lab that night?"

The colonel waited in thoughtful silence for a few moments. Then said, "Yes. It's definitely a possibility. Why do you ask?"

"We saw a chimera yesterday."

"You can never stay out of trouble, can you Fullmetal?" the colonel asked, but his voice was slightly shocked. "Did it attack you?"

"No." Al answered for him. "And she wasn't an it. It's a girl, about our age. She looks mostly human but she's definitely mixed with some type of animal."

I felt this weird fluttering in my stomach when I heard Al's words. It sounded like he was standing up for me by correcting the colonel that I was a girl and not an it. Like, as if he thought that I was something human and not worthless.

"Where did you see her? Tell me what happened." the colonel demanded.

Ed and Al told him everything. They started all the way from our first meeting when I had retrieved Ed's pocket watch to when I had saved that young girl. I was relieved to hear that the girl was okay and back with her parents now. For her sake, I hope they were good to her and didn't abandon her like mine had.

"Interesting." the colonel murmured. "This explains some reports we've received. At first, I wrote them off as people exaggerating or playing jokes but now I think differently."

"What reports?" Al asked.

"Some civilians have reported seeing a creature. It's pretty clear now that this 'creature' is a chimera. But we don't know for sure if they saw the same one you boys encountered."

"If there's one there could be more." Ed agreed.

Hope flickered within me. They thought there might be more chimeras. So, there was a chance that Serah had gotten out alive! It was a small chance but a chance nonetheless.

"I had a mission planned for you but I think I've just found you a better one." the colonel said. "You're to locate the chimera girl you saw and any others that may have escaped the lab."

"And what do you want us to do when we find them?" Ed asked stiffly.

"Bring them in, of course."

"No way!" Ed growled. "Those chimeras were regular people once and it's not their fault for what they've become. I'm not going to bring them back into the military's hands just so they can be experimented on or killed."

"They're running wild through the city and we have no idea what they're capable of. They're dangerous and must be captured immediately."

"But Kayla wasn't dangerous." Al argued. "She saved that little girl. She wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave civilians at risk. There's no way of knowing if these chimeras will attack someone. It's better to get them off of the streets before we have any casualties."

"Why? So they can be locked away or killed or experimented on like animals? No! They're not animals!" Ed yelled.

"They're not human either." the colonel let some anger seep into his voice. "Find and capture them and bring them back here. That's an order, Fullmetal."

I could almost feel Ed's anger through the metal armor that prevented me from seeing him. He finally muttered, "Bastard," under his breath and stomped out of the room. Al followed close behind.

I didn't pay much attention to what was going on outside of Al's armor after that. In the back of my mind I tracked them as they left the building and walked down the sidewalk but my thoughts consumed my focus. Ed's new mission was to find the chimeras that had escaped lab five. That meant, he had to find me and hand me over to the military. I shuddered as chills went down my spine as I thought of what they would do to me. And what they would do to Serah or any others if they were caught. I had to get away from the Elrics and find Serah before it was too late.

"Brother?" Al's voice jarred me out of my thoughts. "We're not really going to hand Kayla over to the military. Are we?"

"Of course we aren't!" Ed replied angrily, though he wasn't angry at Al. "She just escaped the hell she was locked in. I'll be damned if I was the one to put her back in it."

I think my heart stopped for a second. Did I hear him right? Did he actually mean what he was saying?

"Good. I'd feel guilty if we did." Al admitted. "But then, what are we going to do?"

"We'll find her and get her out of the city safely. Her, along with any other chimeras we manage to find."

But…Why? Why would they do that? They didn't even know me! Why? What was in it for them? Why did they care so much? They were willing to risk angering the military to save me. Why?

In my frustration, I had meowed very loudly, making Al stop in his tracks.

"What was that?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing!" Al said nervously.

"Al, open your chest plate." Ed commanded.

Al sighed hopelessly and did as he was told. The barrier between me and the outside world was removed and my body reacted before my mind did. I leapt out, startling both of them, and ran as if my life depended on it.

"Miss Kitty!" Al called after me.

I ignored him and kept on running. I don't know if they were chasing me or not. I didn't look back. I focused on getting as far away as fast as I could. I let my legs carry me past buildings and down alleys. I slowed down to regain my bearings after a few blocks.

I'm not sure why I ran. I think I was scared. Scared that they might not be telling the truth about their plans. And scared that they were truthful. I was scared of trusting them and then them end up hurting me. But I was scared that I had already begun to trust them, whether I wanted to or not. And I realized with a shock that I did want to.

I shook my head in a vain attempt to clear it. First things first. I would find Serah and then I would worry about the rest afterwards. Serah would know what to do. Even when I was uncertain of other people I knew Serah was the one I could depend on.

A footstep appeared in front of me as someone leaned above me. I looked up, alarmed, at a man with white hair and a scar on his forehead. I went to run but he touched my head. His arm glowed for a brief second and then he pulled it back to stare at his hand.

"So you are an abomination. Part human, part beast." he spoke. "First the fox one and now you."

Ice ran through my veins. Fox… Could he be talking about Serah?

"I will cleanse this sin of this world, in the name of the almighty God." He touched my head and his arm began to glow as his hand became warm.

I bolted out from under him as sparks tangled the air around the space my head had been. The electrical charge seared into the ground, leaving gashes in the concrete. If I had acted a moment later then I would be dead.

The scarred man glared at me and stood to his full height. He would have been intimidating in my human form. In my cat form, he was downright frightening. He towered over me, scaring me senseless.

"There is no escape." he said and I knew he was right. He blocked the way I had come from, which was the only way out of this dead end alley. I was trapped and I was terrified and I was most certainly going to die.

I switched, my other self taking over abruptly. I had no control left. All I could do was let my other self play this out using my body. My other self was practical and perceived how defenseless I was in my current form. I transformed into my human form. I would have hesitated had I been in control of myself, because I would be very naked but that didn't bother my other self.

The man seemed to comprehend what I was trying to do and began to rush forward. I was still in mid-change but was able to flip out of the way and onto a large wooden crate. As I landed, my transformation was complete. The man had managed to cut my shoulder up some with that strange red electricity that he emitted from his arm but I was otherwise alright. I could still fight.

The man scanned me over as I eyed him with narrowed eyes. My tail twitched back in forth as I said venomously, "You mentioned a fox. Where is she? Where is Serah?"

"So you know her." he concluded. I didn't expect him to be so forthcoming with information but he was as he continued, "I ran into her sometime last night. She was a sin against God. I sought to purify her just as I will do now with you."

"You killed her?" my eyes widened. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you for that!"

His face was grim as he said, "No, I did not kill her. She escaped from me but she can't hide from me for long. And you won't get away either."

I had no time to react as he lunged forward. His hand swiped the air as it descended onto the crate, smashing it to pieces. I fell awkwardly onto the ground. He was quick to attack again. With the same arm, he went to strike me down. One of the perks of being part cat is that you can move your body almost as if you have no bones. I curled my body away from the hand. The ground took the worst of the blow but the mini explosion sent me rolling. When I had stopped rolling, I got up as fast as I could. My side was bleeding some and I had to ignore the urge to hold the wound to stop the bleeding, for he was coming after me again and I needed both my hands free to fight him.

He initiated a series of attacks that had me struggling to keep up. My enhanced sight and speed was enough to enable me to dodge everything that he dished out but I had practically no time to counter attack. I tried to wait for an opening but none were presented. I was going to have to make my own.

I braced myself. This was either going to work or kill me. When he used his other arm to attack me I let him hit me and prayed that this arm didn't have the same abilities as the other one. His fist went into my stomach and I grunted in pain, but I was ready for it and moved in before he could use his other arm. I dug my claws into the skin of the arm belonging to the fist in my abdomen. I got a firm grip and shifted my body so that I was able to toss him over me.

He landed on his back with a _thud_. While he was on the ground I attempted to run past him and get away. But he was incredibly fast. He flipped onto his feet and went flawlessly into a kick. I was knocked aside and to the ground. If I hadn't have been a chimera, I would never have been able to avoid his next attack. His right arm plowed into the ground where I had just been, creating a large crater. I went on the offensive and used my claws to scratch the sun glasses off of his face. He hissed and covered the side of his face with one hand and jumped away from me.

I didn't let him get away. I swooped in to kick him right in his face. He caught my ankle with his free hand. To my horror, it was his charged hand. I interpreted what he meant to do and acted accordingly. I swung my other leg while I was still suspended in the air and smashed the side of his head. He fell over and I was released. I scrambled up hastily and pounced on him. He had gotten to his knees when I grabbed his left arm and yanked it up behind his back. There was an audible _pop_ as his shoulder dislocated. He cried out and somehow broke out of my hold and went to counter me. I danced back out of reach.

He rose and stared at me menacingly with one red eye. The other was closed from the scratches I had given him earlier. He held his injured shoulder and I knew he was planning out his next attack. Even with a dislocated shoulder and his vision impaired he still intended on continuing this fight. We were evenly matched and the winner could still be anyone. He still had that arm of his intact. I had chosen to hurt his other arm because I was afraid to touch his right arm. But it would have been great if he couldn't use his right arm.

I heard footsteps from down the alley. No doubt, someone had heard all the noise we were making and was coming to investigate. The man and I kept watch on each other but stole glances on the opening of the alley. His expression appeared worried. I guess he wasn't sure he could take me in his condition if back up showed up. But there was no telling who's side the approaching people would take. Neither of us looked too good. Both of us bleeding. Him with his red eyes. Me with my cat features and naked as the day I was born. Yeah, if I had been the one to arrive on the scene I would have just turned around and ran the other way.

Basically, I wouldn't be able to depend on whoever showed up. So they held no interest for me. I turned my full attention back to the scarred man. He waited to see who was coming before he made his next move. I didn't turn to look but I knew that the newcomers had arrived by the way the man's eyes widened. I think he recognized whoever it was. He made a fast decision and charged me. I had been prepared and ducked. Unfortunately. he hadn't been aiming for me. He had been aiming for the wall of the building I was backed against. It exploded over my head and large chunks of brick descended onto me, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

Al had been chasing after Miss Kitty and Ed had been chasing after Al when the two of them had heard explosions nearby.

"What was that?" Al stopped to ask his brother.

Ed looked towards the sound as they heard it again, "I don't know, but it's close. Let's go check it out."

They ran towards the sound, going down a series of alleys. As they got closer, they could hear what sounded like people fighting. They sped up their pace and rushed onto the scene.

The brothers rounded the corner to find two figures standing each other down. They couldn't process more than that because one of them charged the other. The wall of the building exploded with the force of what both of them recognized as alchemy. The first one jumped back out of the way of the falling brick. The other wasn't so lucky.

"Hey!" Ed shouted as he recognized the man. Then Al did too. It was Scar.

Scar paid them no mind and jumped over the still form of the other person and into the building where he was lost from their sights.

"Get back here!" Ed shouted and ran forward with Al at his side. They slowed as they neared the person lying on the ground. Then they stopped altogether as they took in the girl.

She wasn't wearing a single stitch and if Al had had a body he would be blushing a bright crimson. As it was, Ed's face mimicked a tomato. The girl was bleeding and her eyes were closed but her body moved slightly as she breathed in and out. One of her cat ears twitched on her head.

"Brother, that's Kayla!" Al realized with a start.

"Wha-?" Ed blurted, coming out of his trance.

"Don't just stand there! She's hurt. Do something." Al ordered.

"Oh, right." Ed recovered and took off his coat. He draped it over Kayla to cover her up, the whole time blushing.

"Should we take her to the hospital or do we go after Scar?" Al asked Ed.

Ed stared into the building Scar had went through. It was an ordinary office place, closed for the day. There was no one inside. "Scar's long gone by now. We should focus on getting Kayla back to the hotel."

"We're not going to take her to the hospital?" Al questioned, confused.

"She's not exactly your average patient. The doctor's would freak and they'd call the military and we don't want them finding her." Ed stared down at Kayla and so did Al.

"She must be tough to be able to face Scar and live." Al commented.

Ed nodded. "But why was he fighting her?" Then Ed's face colored again as he asked, "And where in the world are her clothes?"

"We should leave." Al urged his brother. "We don't know how hurt she is."

Ed nodded. Then froze. "But, uh…Who's going to carry her?"

The brothers stared down at the cat girl who lay naked under Ed's coat.

* * *

><p><strong>...I'm so evil for ending it there.<strong>

**The next chapter is even better than this one. I've already written it, but it hasn't been edited yet. And I won't be posting it until I either write the chapter after it or next weekend rolls around. So, until then, bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I was trying to come up with a way to start this chapter and then BAM! This major plot twist hit me. I hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

(-Roy-)

Finally. Roy had completed enough paperwork to his Lieutenant's satisfaction and could go home. He never thought he'd see the end of that towering pile of documents, all demanding his attention and signature. He had been tempted more than once to just burn a few of them to ashes and lessen the pile that way but he feared Riza's gun. Somehow, despite how careful he'd be to get rid of the remains, Riza would know he had been shirking his responsibilities. Then she would promptly shoot him. Roy valued his life far too much to risk that.

Roy had opted to walk home this afternoon instead of taking the car. He did this sometimes when it had been a long day at the office. Walks allowed him stretch his legs and clear his mind. They were peaceful, unlike the hectic offices of the military's command center. This gave him the chance to sort out his thoughts without any disruptions.

As he walked, Roy contemplated what he needed to get done when he reached his humble abode, which sat about a fifteen minute's walk from HQ. He was about halfway home when his thought process was interrupted.

Up ahead, a man that had been passing a woman abruptly snatched her purse and ran off with it.

"Hey! That's mine!" the lady screamed after him.

Roy smirked. His evening had just turned interesting. Here was this poor woman, who's looks were very appealing, and her purse had just been stolen by some thief. She would be extremely grateful to the person who came to her aid. Roy saw this as a golden opportunity and took it.

"Don't worry, Miss." Roy gave her a smile and she turned to look into his smoldering eyes. "I'll handle this for you." He caught her answering, nervous smile as he ran off in pursuit of the thief.

As Roy sprinted down the sidewalk, he slipped his hands in his pocket to put on his gloves. He didn't need them for low life scums like this but he couldn't resist. It would certainly impress his audience.

Then, someone else just had to steal the Flame Alchemist's thunder…or flame rather.

The thief had rounded a corner only to be hurtled back into view and into a lamp post. Whatever had thrown him hadn't hurt him. More like stunned him. The man scrambled back to his feet and glared at the person who had stopped him.

She stepped past the building where Roy could see her. Yes, it was, in fact, a she. That surprised Roy a bit. This girl couldn't have been more than seventeen years old. Her hair was her most noticeable feature, being long and a deep red. Her worn, tattered clothes were next. Her shirt and pants had cuts in the fabric and needed a good wash. Despite her disheveled appearance, her looks were striking and beautiful. In a few years when she had reached full maturity she would be a breath taking woman. And probably, she would be just as scary as she was now.

Yes, this girl wore an expression that practically screamed dangerous. Her dark eyes stared down the thief as if she would rip him to pieces. He apparently was too stupid to read the animosity she projected like a lighthouse and proceeded to rush her. Before Roy could snap, the girl struck the man in the chin with her knee. He dropped to the ground, knocked out by the force of the blow. The girl, who could clearly see that the thief wasn't awake, began to poke him harshly with her foot as she yelled, "This fucking city is messed up enough! It doesn't need a low life piece of shit like you too! I've had a shitty week already and the last thing I needed was to run into a damn purse snatcher! Don't you have something better to do than go around taking other people's things? I know _I_ have better things I could be doing than doing the police's job for them and stopping idiots like you! Damn it all! That pisses me off! Hey, are you even listening to me? Wake the hell up so I can kick your ass again!"

"I don't think he will." Roy finally spoke from where he stood, wide eyed. "You got him pretty good."

The girl turned to look at him and Roy barely stopped himself from flinching at her rage filled gaze. "And who the hell are you? You want some of this too?"

Roy waved his hands in surrender, "No. I was only chasing after the thief to retrieve the woman's purse. But it looks like you handled that for me." Roy had added the last glumly. Now the woman wouldn't be impressed with him like he had intended.

And, as if to prove this, the woman came running up to the girl and shook her hand vigorously, "Thank you so much! You were incredible! That was amazing!"

At first, Roy feared that the raging girl would turn on the woman. Instead, she gave her a blank look that quickly turned into a wide grin, "Your welcome. It's nice to be appreciated."

The woman let go of her and swiftly collected her purse. Then she waved at her and scurried off down the street. She didn't even look at Roy once, making him sigh wearily.

The girl sat down on a nearby bench and slumped over. Her previous anger seemed to have been taken out on the thief and now she just looked tired.

"You okay?" Roy asked.

She remained in her hunched, sitting position with her head hung over but answered the question, "Yeah. I'm just tired of the whack jobs in this city. Even if you take one down you'll find another right around the corner. Makes me think that all my efforts are pointless. And pointless things piss me off."

Roy considered her words and said, "That woman didn't seem to think that this was pointless."

She looked up at Roy and cracked a smile, "I guess you're right."

"Wait here while I go call someone to pick him up." he gestured towards the unconscious man and walked away briskly to find a payphone. One was located around the corner and it took only a minute for Roy to explain the situation and have the police come down to arrest the thief. When Roy returned he was slightly surprised that the girl had done as he had ordered. She didn't look like the type that listened to orders.

"Those were some pretty fancy moves kid." Roy began. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

She shrugged, "I don't now. It comes naturally to me."

"Well, it's certainly a useful talent." he remarked. "So, what's your name?"

She hesitated, staring at him, "Serah. And yours?"

"Roy Mustang."

Serah's lips curved up, "Nice name. It tells a lot about your personality. You're strong, sharp, and probably a pain in the ass sometimes. Am I right?

Roy raised an eyebrow. This girl spoke her mind entirely too freely. "To some, I suppose."

She nodded, "Well, it was nice meeting you Roy but there's someone I gotta find." She stood. Her legs wobbled a little but she stayed steady. She started to walked away.

"Hold on." Roy commanded, grabbing her shoulder. She let out a hiss and recoiled from his hand. She grabbed her shoulder as if it pained her. Roy glanced down at his hand and was shocked to see blood smeared on his palm and fingers. "You're hurt."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." she retorted sarcastically.

Roy scanned her over more closely. The tattered clothes he had thought were simply worn out had been torn by some kind of fight. He could now see that there were cuts underneath the fabric, along with many bruises he was willing to bet.

"What happened to you?" Roy asked.

Serah shook her head. Not at him but as if she were fighting dizziness. She took a deep breath and answered, "It's none of your business. I'm fine."

He frowned, "I can make it my business. And you're not fine. You look like you're about to pass out."

"Nah." Serah said. "Passing out is for wimps. I don't do that sort of thing. I'm fine. It only hurts when I think about it." Then she scowled, "Damn it. I'm thinking about it."

"Let me at least help you get to the hospital." Roy offered.

"No!" she answered immediately. "And if you try to force me to go to one I will beat the shit out of you."

Roy rolled his eyes, "You'd sound more threatening if you weren't swaying and about to fall over."

"I'm not swaying!" she shouted and spun around to face him. But the movement was too fast for her and she stumbled and fell over. Roy was barely able to catch her in time to keep her from making a face plant into the concrete.

Roy sighed down at the passed out girl, "It's a curse to always be right."

He waited until the authorities arrived. He had a word with them and sent them on their way with their criminal. They had asked about the girl but Roy had assured them that he would take care of her.

Looking at the bench where he had sat her, he sighed again. Then he picked her up and headed home. He could use the excuse that his house was closer than the hospital, but really Roy was curious. He wanted to find out what had happened to Serah. He had even indulged her and was taking her somewhere other than a hospital in the hopes that she would tell him. Roy had a gut feeling that there was more to this girl than meets the eye.

* * *

><p>(-Kayla-)<p>

I could hear voices around me. They were soft murmurs filled with indistinct words. My mind couldn't process them, muddled as it was. It took several minutes until I could open my eyes and even then I didn't open them past a squint. Light filtered into my retinas, searing them. I moaned and clamped my eyelids back in place to block it out. As I did this I shifted. The surface I laid upon brushed against my skin in a cushiony fashion. Hm, it must be a bed or something. But how had I gotten to a bed? I had been in an alley fighting for my life.

As I pondered this I noticed that the voices had ceased. That both relaxed me and concerned me. Relaxed, because I wanted to go back to sleep. Concerned, because voices meant that someone else was with me and it was entirely too quiet for my liking. I couldn't tell what he, she, or they were doing. They could be readying a gun to shoot me for all I knew.

The thought had me opening my eyes in a millisecond. I went to sit up but stopped when pain shot through my body, making me wince.

"Careful." someone told me, voice filled with worry. "You don't want to open your wounds again."

That voice…It was familiar…

"Oh." was all I could say when I turned to see who had spoken to me. A large suit of armor hovered nearby.

"Stand back, Al. You're gonna scare her." another person warned.

Al turned to look at the guy. Sitting in a chair across from the couch I laid upon was the suit of armor's brother.

"It's you guys." I said weakly.

Ed grinned at me, "Yeah. This makes us even now." He must have read my confused expression because he explained, "You got my pocket watch back for me and now we helped you. We're even now."

"Um…" At a lost for words I nodded slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Al asked me.

"I'm alive so that's something." I answered. My shoulder and side had taken pretty bad hits but they would heal. They burned and should probably be treated. I glanced down to check out my injuries and discovered that the only thing covering me was Edward's red coat.

My face turned several shades of red, "Oh, my." I clutched the coat around me more securely. It was mostly a wasted effort. I still felt entirely too naked.

Something other than skin was on my shoulder. I looked down at it to find that my wounded shoulder had been wrapped in bandages. My side had been patched up as well. That could only mean one thing.

"Uh, did you guys bring me here and bandage me up?" I asked, though it was pretty obvious.

They had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Yeah, we did." Ed admitted, averting his eyes.

"And we couldn't let you bleed to death." Al said, not looking at me either.

"Oh." God this was extremely awkward. I may not be overly modest but I was not okay with the fact that two guys had handled me while I was unconscious and naked. Before I had been captured and stuck in the lab, I had been a shy girl. That had went away these past months but I could feel the old me returning. I couldn't speak, my face was beet red, and I didn't dare look the brothers in their eyes.

Edward coughed, drawing my attention to him, "Well, we were just wondering why you were fighting Scar?"

"Scar." I repeated the name. That must be what they called the scarred man who attacked me. Fitting. "Self defense. He attacked me."

"Why? Scar goes after State Alchemists." Al said.

I was about to say it was because I was a chimera but stopped myself. What was I? Crazy? I couldn't tell them what I was! Then I remembered that they had already seen me once already and not only that but my ears were uncovered and stood up perkily for the whole world to see. Great. Just great. And, to top it off, I recalled that it was Ed's mission to find me and take me back to the military. And here I sat, right in front of him, ripe for the taking.

I didn't want to let the fear show. Regardless, my panic displayed itself through my eyes. "You're going to hand me over to the military. Aren't you?"

Al seemed startled by my change of topic, "Why would we do that?"

"Because," my ears drooped as I whispered, "I'm a chimera. And Ed's a State Alchemist. It's his job, is it not?"

A thoughtful expression enveloped Ed's face, "It doesn't matter what we are. Only who we are. I'm not going to give the military an innocent girl. It would go against my morals."

Morals? So that meant he would feel bad if he gave me to them? That's what held him back? He was that good of a person? Capable of empathizing with others and acting on those feelings to help them? Did these brothers really…care?

"We're not going to make you go anywhere you don't want to go." Al assured me. "We'll keep you safe."

"But, why?" the question burst forth. "Why would you do that for me? Why do you care? Why?"

Al was taken aback but answered surely, "You don't need a reason to help someone."

Everything just stopped for a moment. His words played themselves back again and again within my mind. The part of me that had forged a wall between myself and the world didn't want to believe what he had said. But during the time I had spent with Al and Ed, that part had grown smaller and weaker with each day that passed by. Now, the remaining bit of it crumbled altogether. A light feeling entered my chest, warming me. The feeling increased as they kept talking.

"If you're spotted by anyone else they'll take you in. To prevent that you should leave Central and go somewhere the military isn't as active. We'll help you get out without them seeing you."

"But, Brother. What if she doesn't want to leave Central?"

"Why wouldn't she? This place is crawling with soldiers. Not to mention Scar is targeting her. If I was her I'd want to leave."

"But you're not taking her feelings into consideration?"

"Are you calling me insensitive?"

"Yes."

"Jeesh, Al. I'm only looking out for her. What would you rather us do?"

"Ask her. Kayla…"

Al's words trailed off as the two of them turned to me.

"Kayla! What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Al fluttered over me.

I noticed now that tears had been cascading down my cheeks. They had come suddenly and broke free without my permission. They weren't tears of pain, and yet, at the same time they were. I was crying because of all the pain, loneliness, joy, and happiness. I was crying because of everything. I felt so much right now and it all was too much for my tired body and mind.

"No, I'm fine." I wiped meekly at my face. The action did not help. More tears took their place. "I just…I just didn't expect anyone to treat me like this. I've thought for so long that I couldn't trust people. That anyone I turned to would hurt me. That's what's always happened. But you guys…You never tried to hurt me or use me. You're helping me out for no reason. I…I don't know what to say." I was nearly sobbing when I had finished.

Al kneeled in front of me. At first, he hesitated. Then he slowly reached for the hand in my lap. He gave me time to stop him. I didn't so he took it in a gentle grasp. "You can say whatever you like or nothing at all.

I gripped his hand as if it were the last link to any semblance of normalcy in this crazy, confusing world. All of my shield had been stripped away. Everything that I had known had been turned upside down. It made me flounder, searching for anything that could steady me. Al's hand gave me the anchor I so desperately needed. As I laid my sorrow for all to see he stayed with me.

"I can't leave Central." I began shakily after a while. "Not yet anyway."

"Why's that?" Ed asked. He had been quiet while I had been crying but had been a comforting presence in the background while Al had silently held my hand.

Realizing I was still holding his hand, I let go of Al. I had gotten my emotions under control and had clamed. I was even back to being embarrassed at being naked. Man, I needed to get some real clothes.

"There's someone I need to find." I told them. "Serah. She was another chimera from the lab. We got separated when the building was collapsing. I didn't know if she had made it out but now I do. That Scar guy said he saw her. He tried to kill her for the same reason he tried to kill me, for being a chimera, but she got away from him. She's here in Central somewhere and I've got to find her before Scar or the military or someone else does."

It kinda surprised me at how much I had told them. It was a huge relief to finally tell someone of my troubles. But it also left me feeling vulnerable.

"She sounds very important to you." Al said.

I nodded, "She's like a sister to me. I'd do anything for her, and I know she'd do the same for me."

"That sounds like us. Doesn't it, Brother?" Al looked to Ed.

He smiled, "Yeah. It does. And if I was separated from you and didn't know if you were alright then I would be going crazy." His eyes bored into mine, "So we'll help you find her."

"Really?" I asked, a smile stretching my lips.

"Yep. You can count on us."

Excitement flooded through me. With their help, finding Serah seemed like a real possibility. Soon, I'd be reunited with her and we'd be free. I couldn't wait.

Ed studied me, from my happy expression to my wagging tail, "Just curious, but what kind of animal are you mixed with?"

"Some type of cat."

He face palmed, "It figures."

I was about to ask why he reacted like that when Al exploded, "Really? I love cats! They're so cute and fuzzy! I did have a cat, Miss Kitty, but she keeps running off. I hope she comes back again."

"Um…Alphonse?"

"Yeah?"

"…She did come back."

"What? Where? Did you see her or something?"

"No…I am Miss Kitty."

Utter silence.

"You see, I can turn into a cat. You found me one day when I was in my cat form. You took me in because it was raining outside."

They continued to stare at me in astonishment. Ed was the first one to get over his shock. He lurched to the edge of his seat, "You mean _you're_ that evil cat?"

My ears folded back, "I wouldn't say _evil_."

Al took one look at me and cooed, "Aw, you're so cute when you do that!" This made my face color. Al realized what he had said and laughed nervously, "Well, uh, you know…heh."

"Okay, there's something that's been bugging me." Ed said to me. "…Where are you're clothes?"

My face flushed some more, "Well, when I transform my clothes don't magically disappear or appear. When I ran into Scar I was still in cat form. I transformed so I could protect myself better. I had left my clothes somewhere else so I didn't have anything to put on."

Ed nodded, eyes drifting down the coat that covered me. His cheeks brightened and he looked away, "We'll have to find you some clothes to wear until we can go buy some new ones for you."

"Actually, my clothes are in your closet over there." I pointed. The brothers gawked at me and I explained, "When I came here yesterday I stashed my clothes in there and then transformed. That's why you found me in the closet."

Ed rubbed his hand over his face. Without a word he got up and went to the closet, poking around in there until he found them. He walked back over to me and dropped my bundle on my lap.

"Come on, Al. Let's give the lady some privacy." he gestured for him and his brother to leave the room.

"Okay." Al said and followed Ed into the hall.

Once they closed the door I tossed the coat aside and slipped on my clothes. Now that I wasn't naked anymore, I felt ready to take on the world…But maybe after a short cat nap.

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><p><strong>I had so much fun writing Serah's part. She's such a great character to work with. And it looks like Kayla's got her mind set to stay with the Elrics. Things finally seem to be looking up...or are they?<strong>

**It is scientifically proven that reviewing extends your life.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's been awhile. I did warn you guys that I might only be able to update on this every other weekend. I was just having problems with this chapter and things not coming out the way I wanted them to so I had to work on it for awhile. I will try my hardest though to update next weekend but I make no promises!**

**I have recently realized just how obsessed with FMA I am. For my Spanish class we had to draw a map of the neighborhood where we live and apparently I live down the street from Central Headquaters. XD Which is on Edwards Street, that lets out on Mustang Drive.**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this. I heart my editor! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

(-Serah-)

She awoke to a stinging pain in her shoulder. She hissed and flinched away.

"Sorry, but it needs taking care of." someone told her.

Serah snapped her eyes open and launched herself from the couch where she had been laying. She stood in what appeared to be the living room of a house. The man that she had met earlier sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. In his hand he clutched a wet cloth.

"What the hell were you trying to do?" she asked him, alert.

The man, who's name she couldn't remember, eyed her warily, "Cleaning your wounds. They need to be bandaged."

Without thinking about it, Serah touched the throbbing area of her shoulder. She had received this injury, along with many others, in that fight with the scarred man. She could remember perfectly how helpless she had felt. How she thought she would die then and there. How she had become so weakened that her animal features had shown through. Thankfully, she was in control enough now that she looked like an average human.

"What did you do to me?" Serah demanded. She wanted answers as to why she was in some unfamiliar house. She couldn't recall how she had gotten there. That unnerved her.

His brows rose to his hairline, "Nothing. You passed out and I carried you to my home. You should be thanking me for not leaving you on the sidewalk."

_Damn_, Serah growled at herself internally. She despised the fact that she couldn't control her body. Instead, she was too weak and fainted like a wussy.

"I don't need your help." she spat at him. "I don't need anyone's help. I can take care of myself."

"Then why are you covered in cuts and bruises?" he challenged her.

Serah grumbled a few choice words under her breath and said, "That's besides the point."

He smirked, "Sure it is."

Serah muttered to herself again and discreetly scanned the room for escape routes. Behind the couch there was an archway into the main hallway that held stairs to the second floor. To her left was a smaller archway leading into the kitchen. If she were Kayla then she would have ran for the hills the moment she had woken up in this strange house. But Serah had a more risky personality. There stood only one man against her. There were no others as far as she could tell. She could take him on if it came to that. Though, he had showed no hostility towards her. She would take that as a good sign but watch this guy like a hawk.

"Are you going to be good and let me help you now?" he asked.

Serah scowled at him and snatched the first aid supplies away from him, "I'll do it myself. Just point me to the nearest bathroom where I can clean myself up."

He frowned but pointed towards the hallway.

"Thanks." Serah said cause she wasn't a complete bitch. She sauntered off down the hallway to find the bathroom. She didn't keep glancing over her shoulder to check that he wasn't sneaking up behind her. Instead she simply kept her ears open for any signs of attack.

The bathroom wasn't anything flashy. The room was nice and adequate. And it had a sink and a lock on the door and that's all Serah needed. She set to work quickly and cleaned her wounds and bandaged them. Even before Serah had become a lab experiment she always had some sort of injury. She got into fights constantly and had to patch herself up all the time. Serah either got along with people splendidly or not at all. Usually she wouldn't get along with people. Kayla had to be the only person she had never been angry at. When they met in the lab it was as if they were long lost sisters. Serah had never had siblings, nor had Kayla, but Serah felt like a big sister to her. She felt this overwhelming need to be by her side and protect her. What could be happening to her kitty right now?

Filled with worries, Serah finished up in the bathroom and came back into the living room. She set the first aid kit back on the coffee table beside where the man was still perched.

"Do you feel better?" he asked.

She nodded, "I guess." With a sigh, she flopped down onto the couch.

"Good." he nodded. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." she answered, wondering why he had asked.

"And who are you're parents and where do they live?"

Serah narrowed her eyes at the man, "Why do you want to know?"

He seemed unfazed by her glare, "So I can call them and tell them you're here."

"Look, Mr…"

"Roy Mustang."

"Roy," she nodded. "That's my business and you don't need to know."

Roy replied in an icy tone, "As you are in my house right now it is my business. And if you want to be uncooperative I have other ways of getting information."

"Like how?" she raised a brow skeptically.

"I'm afraid I didn't properly introduce myself. I am _Colonel_ Roy Mustang."

A shiver ran down Serah's spine, "You're in the military?"

Roy nodded, pleased at her reaction.

_Shit_, Serah screamed in her head. Now that he mentioned it, the clothes under his coat were that of the military's standard uniform. How could she have not noticed before? This changed things. This man could not be trusted. If he discovered what she was then it would be back to her cage in the lab. It was a good thing that she could blend so easily with other humans.

"So even if you don't tell me then I will still find out. You can make this easier on yourself if you tell me now."

Serah bit back a rude remark. She hated this nosy man. But fate just loved to put her in crappy situations. She had no other choice. She had to tell him something. It was a good thing that lying was one of her many talents. "I don't live with my parents. They died some time ago. I've been living on my own for awhile here in Central." The truth was that her parents were alive and well. She may not have always gotten along with them but she loved them as much as she loved Kayla. They resided in a small town called Arcadia which was about a day-and-a-half's worth of a train ride away from Central. When Serah had been taken she had come on a special trip to Central to pick up a package for her mother. That day felt like ages ago.

She shook herself out of the memories. She couldn't get sidetracked. She had to remain focused on the here and now.

Roy let out a heavy breath, "That changes things somewhat. Tell me at least how you got injured."

Serah ruffled at his demanding tone but forced herself to comply…somewhat. "I was attacked."

"By who?"

"What makes you think it's a who? It could have easily been an animal or something." Serah said insolently.

Roy paid no mind to her impoliteness and answered her seriously, "I assumed that a person had dealt those wounds but now that you mention it there are others that could have done it."

Serah had been joking but now she saw that Roy was seriously considering it. And whatever he had in mind, she didn't like it. "What do you mean? Something…not human?"

Roy watched her with a thoughtful expression. She could tell that he was deciding whether or not to talk about it. He finally gave in, "There have been some reports sent in about creatures being spotted around the city. They were dismissed at first until a subordinate of mine saw one himself."

"Creatures?" Serah cocked her head to the side.

He nodded, "They're called chimeras. Chimeras are part human, part animal."

Serah feigned surprise, "You've gotta be kidding me. How would that even be possible?"

"They were made by alchemy." he spoke with a darkness in his eyes. "An alchemist blended together various subjects to create the chimeras, using both animals and humans as lab rats. This, of course, is extremely illegal and was done in secret. The lab were they were being manufactured was discovered by my same subordinate and it's been taken care of, though a few of the chimeras have apparently escaped. We're working hard to make sure that this never happens again and I have personally assigned someone to find any and all escaped experiments and apprehend them."

Serah took it all in slowly. She already knew some of this but other bits were new. Eventually, she asked, "Why would you tell me all of this? I would think that you would want to keep this kind of thing secret."

He narrowed his eyes at her knowingly, "I have a feeling that you can help me."

She tensed. _Does he know? How could he? I look normal, like any other human. But still…_ "Help you how?"

Roy smirked, pleased that she appeared willing, "Describe to me exactly what the chimera looked like that attacked you."

She blinked, "Oh…it was…the chimera you called it?" Serah purposely acted as if she had never heard the word before. He nodded and she went on, "It looked human for the most part but something was off, I could tell. It was strong and put up a good fight. I got away though." Serah could have cleared up Roy's assumptions and went ahead and told him that the scarred man had nearly killed her. But this way, she could possibly figure out what the military knew on the subject.

"Could the chimera pass for an ordinary person?" Roy asked. The answer to this question was critical.

She eyed him suspiciously, "I suppose. Is there a reason you want to know?"

"I wanted to know if it would be possibly for them to blend into society. They may be too…wild to do that but if their's a chance that they could have sustained their mind then they could certainly do this. Most of the chimeras ever made were all imperfect. The ones I've heard about lately are the most advanced subjects ever seen."

"Have you found any of them yet?" Serah asked while trying not to sound to eager for an answer.

He shook his head, "No, but it's just a matter of time."

She stifled her sigh of relief. Happiness flooded her system that the military hadn't gotten a hold of Kayla, but she couldn't let this show on her face. She played the part of the hurt victim. It would be more expected for her to be disappointed that they hadn't found any.

"Sounds like you've got your hands full." Serah commented.

He nodded tiredly, "Yes. And now I'm even more concerned about this with what you've told me." She gave him a questioning look and he explained, "Not only are they hostile, they can also be anyone on the street."

Serah bristled at the 'hostile' comment, but nodded understandingly, "Yeah, that's some creepy shit."

"Where did you encounter the chimera that attacked you?"

"I honestly can't remember. I was just walking by, minding my own business, and the next thing I know is that some weird, psycho, red-eyed, thingie majig is trying to bite my face off. As soon as I could I ran like hell."

Roy lifted his eyebrows at her choice of words. He shrugged and continued interrogating her, "You mentioned earlier that you were looking for someone. Who?"

_Kayla_, her thoughts said. Aloud she answered, "A friend."

"And this friend's name is?"

"Kiss my ass." she fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

Roy bristled, "I don't enjoy your attitude. If you want I can throw you behind bars."

"For what? Refusing to tell the name of a friend of mine? That's a load of shit and you know it." Serah crossed both her arms and legs and looked away from him snootily. "The only reason I'm not saying is so that they don't have to put up with your dumb ass like I am now."

"That's the thanks I get for helping you?" Roy asked disbelieving.

"I never asked you to help me. And because I didn't I feel no need to be anymore forthcoming. I've already told you about the chim-thingie. Now, fuck off old man."

Roy's jaw dropped, "I don't think I've ever met a woman so uncooperative an stubborn as you."

"A girl's gotta be tough to survive. And I'm not the type to share my life's story just because a person asks nicely. Or in your case _demands_. I've always lived by the principle of 'trust yourself before anyone else'. I just met you and, quite frankly, I don't like you. And I especially don't like the military. Never have. Never will. So I'm not going to tell you anything more than I want to so you can just deal with it or I will happily kick your ass."

"You would assault an officer of the military?" he asked, part incredulously, part amused.

"You bet. If someone wants to pick a fight with me then I'll fight them right back. My momma raised me to stick up for myself. I don't take shit from no one."

Roy shook his head, "I feel sorry for your mother."

Serah narrowed her eyes, ready to defend herself and her mother when a loud banging noise sounded.

"Rooooy! Buddy, where are you?" a cheery voice called.

"And here I thought this day couldn't get any worse." Roy moaned.

"There you are!" the voice exclaimed. Serah twisted on the couch to see the man. He wore glasses over his green eyes, had black hair, and a huge grin on his face.

"Who's this dude?" Serah whispered to Roy.

"My worst nightmare." he answered, not even bothering to whisper.

"Oh, come on, Roy. Don't be like that." the man pouted. "Who's your lady friend? I have to say she looks pretty young for you to be bringing home."

"You idiot. She's not my date. And do you really think I would have relations with a minor?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Serah snorted. "You do kinda come off as a pedophile."

"I am not a pedophile!" he shouted.

"A bit defensive there, are we?" she teased.

The green-eyed man whistled, "You two sure seem to be getting along." He extended a hand towards Serah, "Hi there. My names Maes Hughes. How'd a sweet girl like you end up with a grump like Roy?'

Serah smiled, liking this man already. She shook his hand firmly, "I'm Serah. And the big grump over here brought me to his house against my will."

"You make it sound like I kidnapped you." Roy commented.

"For all intents and purposes, you did." Serah snapped.

"Shame on you, Roy!" Maes scolded. "Don't you know you need to treat a lady with respect? If you keep acting like this you'll never get yourself a wife."

"Give it a rest!" Roy ordered Maes.

"But what would be the fun in that?" Maes smiled mischievously. "I know a way to lighten the mood! How about I show you my new pictures of Elysia?"

"How about I burn you to a crisp?" Roy retorted, a vein on his forehead throbbing.

"Who's Elysia?" Serah asked. As soon as she had finished the question she regretted it. Maes began shoving pictures of the 'adorable ray of sunshine' that was his daughter. He brought out an endless supply of pictures. Serah had no idea where he kept them all.

"Okay, okay! I get the point! She's cute! I can't take anymore!" Serah pleaded.

"I know. Elysia's cuteness can be too great for some people." Maes grinned but thankfully removed the photos from her face. Despite her annoyance, Serah smiled a small smile at the adoring father.

"Hughes, did you actually come to my house for a reason or did you just come to gush about your daughter?" Roy asked, irritated.

"I didn't just come to gush about my daughter…I came to also gush about my wife!" and, God have mercy, he pulled out yet another bundle of pictures.

"Alrighty then!" Serah interrupted, getting to her feet. "I'm just gonna leave you guys to it and be on my way."

"Wait! We're not finished here." Roy called to her.

"Yes we are." Serah said definitely, not bothering to glance at him as she walked away.

As Serah slammed the door shut, her shoulder burned at the movement. She winced, saying colorful things under her breath. She walked down the simple walkway, hoping the night air would soothe her. The fox chimera instinctively knew that the sun had recently set and the night had just begun. She felt no fear of the dark. She could see perfectly fine where most people would only see blurs and shadows. Her lungs breathed in the crisp air. Her skin tingled as the animal inside her relished the various scents.

The front door to Roy's house opened again, catching her attention. She hadn't even realized that she had stopped walking to take in the night. Now that she did, she resumed her earlier pace.

"Hold up!" a voice called.

Serah stopped. If it had been Roy she would have kept on walking. But the one calling to her was Maes. She allowed herself to hear what he had to say. Though, if he brought out one more picture she would turn tail and run.

"Need something?" Serah asked.

He shook his head as he came to stand in front of her. "I was just going to offer you a ride."

She glanced at the car he had gestured to. Then back to him. "What if I'm not going the same way you are?"

He shrugged with a smile, "I'll still take you. You shouldn't be walking around by yourself at night."

The way he said it made her smile, as if he cared if she got hurt. She was about to accept his offer when her stomach growled viscously. She cursed at it.

Maes lifted an eyebrow, "When's the last time you ate because I've never heard a stomach growl that loud before?"

Serah chuckled lightly, "Yeah, my stomach's funny like that. It goes one day without getting any food and it's like it's the end of the world."

"You haven't eaten since yesterday?" he asked, shocked. "Then why didn't you say so? You're coming with me!" He then proceeded to dragging her towards his car.

Surprised, she demanded, "Where are you taking me?"

"Back home to my wife so she can fix you a proper meal. There's no sense in a kid going around starving. Not when I can help it."

"I'm not a kid." Serah protested.

He didn't comment. Maes let her go by the passenger side and went around the car to the driver's side. He opened his door and waited there for her to get in. "Well? Do you need me to open the door for you or what?"

Serah shook her head, exasperated. "You're an odd duck, you know that?"

Maes gave her a goofy grin and slid into the car. Groaning, Serah did the same.

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><p><strong>I absolutely love Serah's character. She's such a smart ass. And I like how when she meets people she either instantly hates them or likes them. Like, how she can't stand Roy and likes Maes right off the bat.<strong>

**Reviews? Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?**


	9. Chapter 9

******FINALLY! I finished writing this chapter! It took me forever. I just now finished this and didn't want to have to make you guys wait longer for it to be edited so I skipped the editing process. I apologize for any typos.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

(-Kayla-)

Nothing much happened after my explanation to the brothers. They asked me a few more questions and I confirmed that I really had been a subject from lab five that escaped. I skimmed over the basics of what went on in the labs. I didn't get into too much detail. Those emotional scars were still too raw. In turn, they told me about what they were doing there that night. It amazed me all over again that these two had turned my nightmare of a life around, albeit unintentionally. And now they promised to help me find Serah and keep us safe from the military, Scar, and everyone else. Simply amazing.

Sometime during our discussion I had fallen asleep. When I woke up later my emotions were mixed. I hadn't been aware that I had let my guard down enough to go to sleep in front of them. It wasn't like me. Then again, I had already reassured myself that Al and Ed could be trusted. A wary voice told me this wasn't the wisest decision but I couldn't help it. For the first time in my life I felt _safe_. Most people take their safety and cozy lives for granted. They'll never see the harsher parts of this world or understand that life isn't just rainbows and sunshine. I knew. Life was a tangled web made up of dark threads of pain, sorrow, fear, and loneliness. When you became trapped in it, there was no easy way to find the one thread of light that would lead you out. I hoped with all of my heart that the thread I followed now led to a lighter place and wasn't deceiving me.

I sat up on the bed where I had been sleeping. One of the guys must have placed me here. And I hadn't even woken up. I'm usually a light sleeper. I suppose I was more tired than I had thought. Ed slept on his bed nearby. Al must have gone off somewhere. Where did he go at this hour? Outside the window I could see that dawn approached. The sun would rise soon.

I climbed out of bed and stretched, much in the way a cat does when it wakes from a nap. My shoulder and side tugged a bit but I ignored it. They would heal quickly. Another upside of being a chimera.

I made sure that my hood covered my head and that my tail hid completely underneath my clothes. Then I exited the room and stepped into the hallway. There, I sniffed the air. My heightened sense of smell caught many scents. I picked out the one that had a metallic tang to it and followed my nose. The scent led me up the flights of stairs and onto the roof.

I opened the door cautiously and peaked out. Al stood next to the railing of the little roof area. From this view point, you could see much of Central. He looked deep in thought. Perhaps something troubled him.

I tried my best to walk quietly. I didn't want the sound of my steps to interrupt him. I must have been too quite though because I ended up scaring him.

"Ah! What are you doing here?" he asked with a gasp. He certainly hadn't expected anyone else to come up here.

I smiled, enjoying his reaction, "I could ask you the same thing."

He nodded, having been reassured that it was only me. He went back to gazing at the city. "I came to watch the sunrise. I like to do this a lot. Everything's so calm and peaceful at this time of the day."

I agreed. A tinge of orange had begun to color the sky. The wind had picked up in a soft breeze. Most people were in their beds lost in their dreams. Soon they would all wake up and start their days, but for now they rested and so did the rest of the world around them.

"It's nice out here." I stated, letting my hood fall back so that I could feel the wind run through my hair and ears. I didn't worry about anyone seeing me. We were high up and most people were asleep anyway.

"Kayla?" Al asked.

"Hm?" I hummed, my eyes closed as I hung my arms over the top of the railing.

"How did you end up in the fifth laboratory?"

I stiffened as memories flooded my mind. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, most of the people they used their experiments for were criminals on death row from the nearby prison. And you don't seem like one of them."

"It's true, most of them were prisoners but that's not where all of them came from. Like Serah and me for instance…" I trailed off, my thoughts turning to my friend.

"How did you get there?" he asked in a soft, encouraging voice.

I glanced at him. He watched me with those glowing orbs of his, making me nervous. I closed my eyes again to avoid his stare. "They kidnapped us. Serah was visiting Central and, while no one was looking, they grabbed her, overpowered her, and took her to the lab. I'm not sure why they went to the trouble of grabbing pedestrians off the streets. It's risky. But they must have had a reason. Like they wanted more variety or there weren't as many prisoners to choose from. As for me…"

"Go on." Al said patiently.

I sighed, "They did the same to me as they did to Serah. It was night and I was looking for a place to sleep and they snuck up on me. They knocked me out and when I came to…I was in that place."

"Oh…" Al said thoughtfully. After a few moments he asked, "Why were you looking for a place to sleep?"

I blushed a little in embarrassment, "I didn't have anywhere to stay so I was going to sleep outside somewhere. I could say that I just traveled a lot, and although that's true, it's not the whole truth. I used to be homeless. Still am actually."

"Where's your family?"

"I don't know. They could be dead for all I know. My parents abandoned me when I was just a baby."

"That's terrible!" Al said appalled.

I smiled ruefully, "That's life."

Al seemed like he wanted to say something important. Instead, he asked, "What happened after that?"

"I lived with a number of families. Whoever found me must have made sure that a family took me in. But the first family only kept me for a short while. After that, I was moved from family to family. None of them were…pleasant." I gritted my teeth as I said the word. More memories came back to me. I saw all the faces of the people who had 'taken care of me'. Most of them abused me, either verbally or physically. They would yell at me and tell me how worthless I was and that I should be grateful that they took trash like me in. They hurt me in many ways. I doubted I would ever be able to forget all the horrible things they had done to me.

"Anyways," I said, returning to the subject, "I ran away when I was around twelve. I've been living on my own ever since, traveling from place to place by myself."

To my surprised, Al said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

I blinked at him for a moment. Then my lips perked up, "It's okay. Things weren't so bad after I left. I met a lot of interesting people and saw many places. It wasn't such a bad life." In those couple of years I experienced happiness. Not all of my memories were bad ones. There were a few bright patches. Those were the ones I tried to keep close to me. "But it feels like such a long time ago."

"How long were you at the lab?"

"Four months, give or take." I shrugged.

"Four months?" he gasped.

"Yeah." I nodded. "But don't stress yourself out about it. I don't need your pity."

"That's not it!" he said, waving his hands. "I'm just surprised. You were there for that long, and obviously some pretty awful stuff happened to you, but you haven't given up. You're trying to move forward. Not many people could do that."

I stared up at him in wonder. I'm not sure why, but what he said made me happy. "Thank you, Al."

"Um, you're welcome." he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

I went back to watching the sunrise. The sun had begun to ascend and it's light flowed over the rooftops of the buildings. It really was a beautiful sight.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I remembered something. Turning back to him, I asked, "Al, what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, a bit confused.

"How did you become a walking suit of armor? There's no body inside. How can that be?" I had been wondering this from the very beginning.

Al looked bewildered for a moment. Then he nodded his head in understanding, "That's right. You rode inside me as a cat." He hesitated, then continued, "It all began when our mom died…"

I listened to him as he told me his and his brother's story. I learned many things about them that morning. I may have even learned the answer as to why they were helping me. They had seen the harsher parts of this world, just like me. They had been through many tragic experiences. They knew what true pain and sadness felt like. They would do anything to keep the same things from happening to someone else. They would stand up for the ones tangled in dark threads, even when they were fighting they were still fighting against their own. Again, I thought, _Simply amazing_.

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

"This is weird." Serah mumbled to herself. She had woken up peacefully in the guest room of the Hughes' house. She had slept in a bed last night. An honest to God _bed_! It felt like a lifetime had passed since the last time she had experienced that small comfort. As she sat on the bed staring out the window, she replayed the bizarre events from the previous night.

Maes had made good on his word and taken Serah straight to his home where he lived with his wife and daughter. Serah could tell from the moment she saw the family together that they were a close bunch. They practically glowed with love and happiness. Serah envied them. She wished she could go home and be with her family like old times. Her parents were odd folks. Her mother wore the pants in the house and went about doing everything with zest. There was never a dull moment when she was around. Serah's father was a docile man. Maes reminded Serah of her father somewhat. Maes may have been more energetic, loud, and in your face but he had the same caring attitude that her own father always emitted. Whenever Serah got into fights and came home with bruises and cuts her mother would give her the scolding of a lifetime while her dad would help her bandage her wounds. Then about an hour later her mother would forget her anger completely and go back to her normal self. Serah had always thought her mother was bipolar. It used to annoy the hell out of her but it was things like that she missed the most.

_But that's all in the past_, Serah reminded herself sternly. I_ can't go back. Ever. Not like this. Not now that I'm a monster. They'd hate me…_

Pushing thoughts of her own family aside, Serah put her full effort into socializing with Maes and his wife and kid. Gracia was a soft and motherly woman. The first thing she did when Maes explained to her about their impromptu guest was give her a seat at the table and a large plate of food. With a huge grin on her face, Serah dug in heartily. She hadn't ate a decent meal in days. Little Elysia had giggled at her, entertained by how fast Serah could make the food disappear. Serah had never really liked kids. They were cry babies, pointlessly loud, and usually evil. She swore up and down that she would _never_ have a little demon of her own. Despite all of this, Elysia didn't grate her nerves. She could tolerate her.

"You're pretty." Elysia told Serah.

Serah stopped devouring her food long enough to stare at the girl. She swallowed deeply and asked, "Excuse me?"

Elysia smiled and pointed directly at her face, "You're pretty!"

Serah arched an eyebrow, "You think I'm pretty huh?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. Serah flashed a quick grin, "It's because I eat my vegetables. Lots and lots of vegetables."

Her eyes widened, "Really?"

The older girl nodded, "You bet." Staring at her adoring expression, Serah decided, _Okay, maybe she is kinda cute_.

The rest of that night went smoothly until Maes offered her a ride home. Gracia had gone upstairs to put Elysia to bed. Maes stood up and stretched, "Alright. Let's get you home kiddo."

Serah waved him away, "It's fine. I can walk. You've already been so nice to me."

"Nonsense! What kind of man would I be if I let a defenseless girl like yourself wander the streets at night?"

She gritted her teeth, "I'm not that defenseless."

He smiled good naturedly, "It still wouldn't set right with me if something happened to you."

"But you've got to so much trouble already." Serah protested. She had never been the sort to worry about this sort of thing. If circumstances were different she would have accepted a ride without any objections. It sure as hell beat walking and it eliminated the possibility of running into any idiots or weirdos. Unfortunately, she couldn't let Maes take her because there wasn't a place to actually go to.

"It's no trouble at all." the man assured her.

"But-"

"You're rather persistent, aren't you?" he cocked an eyebrow. "It's almost as if there's a reason you that you don't want me to drive you home." Then, invading her personal space, he leaned in close to her face and said in a serious low voice, "Or maybe you're hiding something."

_Ah! Fuck a duck! He knows!_ Serah thought frantically. She had let her guard down and forgotten that Maes was a military officer, just like Roy. Did they plan this against her? Had this been what they wanted all along? Damn it! She should have been more careful! But… did he really know? Had he figured out that she was a chimera? Could he be suspicious about something else? If he did know Serah wouldn't hesitate to knock his lights out. But if it was something else she could maybe talk her way out of it. But which was it? She didn't want to assume that he knew too much and pointlessly attack him. What if he didn't know? What if he did? And all of this thinking was giving her a migraine. She had never been the kind of person to think things through. Winging it was more her style.

Serah held still as Maes spoke again, "Do you really have a home to go to?"

She blinked, taken aback, "What?"

"Do you have a home to go to? Or is there a reason you don't want someone else to know where you live. Or are you hoping to avoid going back there?"

That one question struck her to the core. _Do you have a home to go to?_ It made a terrible longing weigh down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. The pressure hurt enough to make her cry. But Serah had too much pride for that. She would not cry, especially where someone else could see her. She forced herself to tough it out, averting her eyes and biting on the inside of her cheek.

Maes sighed and his voice became surprisingly gentle, "Serah, I'm not trying to cause you trouble. I only want to help you. But I can't do that unless I know what the problem is."

"I don't want any help." Serah muttered.

"Its hard to accept someone's help because you don't want to have to need it. You want to be able to solve everything on your own. But everyone needs a little help now and then and there's no shame in accepting it. True strength is being able to admit when you need something. You don't have to sit back and let me take care of everything but at least allow me to help you help yourself."

She crossed her arms and attempted to close herself off from him. It didn't work. A small annoying part of her mind kept telling her that what he said made sense. Her stubbornness refused to buy it. It told her to walk out right now and not to look back. She had listened to it for her entire life. And yet, she still stood there. Stubborn to her own stubbornness.

And then she did something that absolutely shocked her. Her mouth opened and words spilled out of her mouth, "I don't have a home… Not anymore."

"Do you have any family?"

"I have no one." she answered firmly. "Well, accept…"

"Yes?"

She squeezed her arm so hard that it would bruise. She didn't care. Serah needed something to hold onto. "There's this friend of mine. We got separated days ago. She's all I have left."

"And you're looking for her?"

"Yeah." she gave him a small nod. Then she squared her shoulders and took in a deep breath. "But I'll find her. I haven't searched everywhere. She may have even left the city. That's not going to stop me though. She's out there somewhere, alone, and I have to get to her. I'll find her…cause we're all we've got left."

A hand on her shoulder made her look up. Maes's green eyes were soft and caring, "She must be a remarkable person for her to be so important to you."

A small smile tugged at her lips, "She is. She's given me a purpose. I have to protect her. Without her everything would be pointless."

Gracia came down the stairs, partially surprised to see that her husband and Serah were still there. Maes wrapped an arm around her and announced, "Honey, meet our new houseguest."

Serah's jaw dropped, "House-what?"

That goofy grin Maes always wore shown brightly, "It could take you awhile to find your friend. In the meantime you can stay here. And this will give you more time to spend with my adorable daughter!"

"But-"

"We'd be more than happy to let you stay." Gracia nodded. She may not know entirely what was going on but she had a good soul and couldn't turn someone in need away.

"But I'm a stranger!" Serah latched onto the excuse. "For all you know I could be an escaped convict and the friend I'm looking for is really my partner in crime. I could be an ax murderer! Aren't you afraid that I might try to kill you in your sleep?"

"Nope!" Maes answered with a smile.

Serah face palmed, "Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

"Of course! Now Gracia, would you show our guest to the spare bedroom?"

"Sure." the woman replied happily, heading up the stairs.

Slumping forward, Serah groaned, "You people are crazy."

"Yep." Maes said. "And you're stuck with us crazy people."

"God help me." Serah muttered.

A knock at the bedroom door interrupted Serah's reverie of the night before. "Come in." she called warily.

Gracia stepped into the room holding a small bundle of material, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Serah answered. She couldn't help but remember how when she had been stuck in the lab no one ever cared if you slept well. And if you were sleeping when they came for you they would kick you awake. And those actions were mild compared to the other horrific experiments they did there. Serah had acquired many scars from her stay there.

The Hughes' household differed greatly. Here there were only kind words and never violence. Such a stark contrast from the labs. It would take some time for Serah to get used to it. She had to remember that not everyone were like the scientists from the lab. Most people were actually human.

Gracia smiled warmly at her, "I brought you some old clothes of mine. I think they'll fit you."

Serah accepted the bundle of clothes and then let the older woman show her to the bathroom so that she could take a shower. No point in putting clean clothes on a dirty body. The clothes Serah had been wearing were from a random store she had stole them from. They let her blend in more than the rags she had been wearing from the lab. But now they were dirty from the days she had spent outside and on the run from raging red-eyed, scarred lunatics. So yes, a shower and clean clothes were desperately needed.

After taking the best shower she had ever had, Serah went downstairs. Everyone else sat in the kitchen eating breakfast. A plate sat at an empty chair, intended for her. Serah gazed at the plate full of biscuits, bacon, and eggs with a watering mouth. She dove for the food with gusto. Little Elysia giggled at her as Serah attempted to cram bacon into an already full mouth.

_At least kids find me amusing_, Serah though wryly. For the rest of the breakfast Serah tried various things to get the kid to laugh. Elysia smiled and giggled the entire time and even her parents got a few laughs out of it.

When all the food had been eaten Gracia went to wash the dishes while Maes stood up and said, "I need to be heading out." He kissed Gracia on the cheek and gave Elysia a big hug. Then he stopped by Serah and asked, "Can I talk to you outside for a minute before I go?"

Serah wondered what was up but consented. They stepped out the front door and into the morning sunshine.

"What is it?" Serah asked bluntly.

Maes's humor disappeared as his face became serious, "It's about your friend."

She crossed her arms, "What about her?"

"I was wondering about what happened to separate you two."

Serah bit her lip, pondering how to answer him. She decided that a lie would be the best way to go. Luckily, lying came naturally to her. "When we got to Central we got lost in the crowds of people. I couldn't find her after that."

"Could something have happened to her?"

She shrugged, "Possibly. But I have a feeling she's somewhere here in Central looking for me."

"Is she homeless like you?"

"Yeah."

"If you told me her name and gave me a description I could help you find her." he offered.

Maes was in the military, after all. He probably had numerous connections to work with. If Serah gave up the information then more than likely Maes would find Kayla. But she couldn't get the military involved. As soon as they found her they would know that she was a chimera. Then they would figure out that Serah was one as well and both of them would end up in cages once more. She couldn't let that happen.

With a steely expression Serah said, "I appreciate the offer but no thanks. This is something that I have to do alone."

From the tightness in his eyes, Serah knew that Maes suspected something. He just hadn't figured out what yet. For a goofy family man he sure did have a keen intellect. Serah would have admired him for it if it wasn't causing her so much trouble.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She gave a sharp nod.

He sighed reluctantly, running his hand through his hair, "I guess I can't make you tell me."

"That's what that asshole Roy did."

Maes barked a laugh, "A lot of people would agree with you there. But he's really not so bad once you get to know him."

"I highly doubt that." Serah muttered.

He just shook his head with a smile, "Anyway, you can stay here while you look for your friend. But remember that you can come to me if you need anything."

Serah's mind flashed to an image of her own father. Again, Maes's kindness had reminded her of him. It made her smile genuinely at him, "Thank you."

"No problem. See you later, kiddo." he waved at her and departed.

She watched him leave and then went inside. She told Gracia that she would be gone for a while and be back later. Then Serah set out to find Kayla.

Her plan was hardly a plan at all. She intended to walk the streets and hope that she would stumble upon Kayla. It was her only option at this point. Well, the only option that Serah could think of. If Kayla herself were here she'd probably come up with a few better ideas. She always was the better thinker of the two. But she wasn't here now. Hell, she may not even be in Central. Or she could be…

Serah stopped in front of the hospital she had been passing as her train of thought rushed into a terrible prospect. What if the military already had their hands on Kayla? With this much military in one city they very well could have gotten her. And if they did Serah would have to stop and think things through carefully. If they did have her Serah would most certainly go rescue her but first she would have to find out where they were holding her. How would she do that? She would have to snoop around somewhere where they keep records of that kind of thing. Somewhere like…the National Central Library. Serah had never been there but she knew that it would have confidential files and things that she could use to confirm whether or not they had captured Kayla. It was worth a try.

Serah had to ask around for directions but eventually she made it there. The library had a section out of use due to construction. It looked like a bomb or something had gone off on that part of the building. Construction workers were on the scene, rebuilding at a moderate rate. While that was being done a few people entered and exited the main section of the building. Apparently the library was still functioning. The only problem was that Serah didn't have access. Only library workers, State Alchemists and other military personnel were allowed inside. Serah was any of those. She'd have to improvise.

The chimera circled the building, seeking out entry points without being too conspicuous. She found a window towards the back that had been left open…On the third floor.

"Beggars can't be choosers." Serah said to herself. At least there weren't any people in the back of the place. It would be bad if anyone saw what she was about to do.

Serah took a few steps back and crouched down in a ready position. The muscles in her legs bunched up as she shot off like a bullet. She easily leapt onto a dumpster and didn't hesitate to keep going upward. She used her momentum to soar up the side of the building and reached the targeted window by jumping off the sides of the building. She latched onto the window sill and scurried inside without even breaking a sweat. It made her smile. Her enhanced abilities certainly made things more fun. But it was the only positive thing about being a chimera.

The room she had crawled into was an ordinary office. Luckily, no one occupied it. Beyond the dark office was the main part of the library where the many rows of bookshelves made aisles. The number of books amazed Serah. How could people like reading this much? She had never understood people who loved books. Serah herself had no love for them. They were only words on paper. Boring and pointless. And now, Serah would have to go through endless books and resources to find what she was looking for. Not fun.

She kept her eyes and ears out for any signs of people nearby. She could hear only a couple of people lingering around the giant room and they were probably too engrossed in some book they had their nose stuck in to notice her. Serah avoided them anyway. She chose the least populated aisles to go down, walking as if she belonged instead of creeping around like the trespasser she was. If someone were to see her they may overlook her if she didn't act suspiciously.

Serah made many turns and found herself in the back where the records room was located. The door, naturally, was locked. She rummaged around the area until she found a paperclip on a desk. She bent it and used it to shimmy the lock to open. As the door swung open, Serah whispered triumphantly, "I am good."

She skimmed through the many filing cabinets. Most of it was irrelevant and Serah was begging to get frustrated when she found a document about the fifth laboratory. She skimmed through it and the other files. The files listed the experiments and such carried out by the scientists at lab five. A list showed the scientists known to be involved, which ones were alchemists, who had been incarcerated, who was suspected to being involved, guards who worked there, and people from the military who had been a part of it. Another file told of the research materials that had been recovered from there, including animal, human, and chimera subjects.

"This is it!" Serah whispered excitedly. She skimmed through the paragraphs. There were no names listed by the chimeras. Only descriptions. None of them matched Kayla's.

"I guess that's good then." she muttered to herself. She read through more documents, uncovering all she could find. She didn't slack off and remained thorough in her research. She found other little tidbits of information. Although there had been sightings of chimeras around Central none had been captured. There was also reports from when the military infiltrated lab five. It said that Hughes lead a team to find a State Alchemist who had snuck in there without authorization along with his brother. They were Edward and Alphonse Elric. They had been the ones to uncover the corruption and wrongful experimentations and had rushed there despite being told to wait for further evidence. It made Serah laugh because that's exactly what she would have done. Moving past those she found more articles but the rest basically said the same things, just written by different people.

Serah sighed and closed the draw of the cabinet. She had done all she could here. There was no point in staying any longer. Exiting the room, she made sure to lock it back from the inside before closing the door. Then she made her way back down the aisles, scanning the vast collections of books. She rolled her eyes at some of the titles, laughed at a few, and snickered at others. But one book made her halt her steps. She grasped the book and read the title.

"_Theory of Chimeras_." she said breathlessly. She grasped the book and flipped through the pages. There was gobs of information about chimeras! Types of chimeras. The process of making a chimera. And loads more. There were other books as well cluttered on that shelf, all about chimeras.

Serah picked up another book, _The Science of Making a Chimera_. It described with more detail how a chimera was made. Alchemists used certain transmutation circles to yield the best results and it showed what species were more compatible with each other. It was both sickening and fascinating to Serah. She read on about how a perfect chimera had never been successfully made. She snorted at that. Serah was living proof that that was a lie.

In the book it talked about the transmutation needing more energy or something another. There were so many confusing words and Serah could barely follow along. She comprehended that the chimeras were failures because the transmutations had been too unstable. This made Serah think of when she had become a chimera. The alchemist that had created her shouldn't have blended her so well with a fox, according to this book anyway. But what he had done had been somewhat different. There was this red water substance he had used. Serah wondered if that had amplified it somehow. The book didn't mention it so she was left to speculate.

When she got to the page talking about reversing the process, she nearly flipped out. Eagerly, she read about how once alchemists created chimeras they transmuted the animals back. But Serah's heart sank when it said that all of those had been failures. Apparently, the animals were too infused with one another and once they became one they could never revert to their separate forms. Serah nearly stopped reading as she learned this, but curiosity led her to continue reading the section. It spoke of a theory that with enough of an amplifier boosting the transmutation the alchemist would gain enough stability in order to split the two beings.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" Serah read aloud.

* * *

><p><strong>This is going to lead to many interesting places. I'm thinking that the next chapter is really going to be stepped up a notch and I'll be posting it in a couple of weeks unless I get it done faster or later than that. <strong>

**I'm trying to think of ways for Kayla's other personality to come out more. And I wonder what Al and Ed are going to think when they realize she has a split personality. Even I don't know because I haven't thought of it yet.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Almost didn't think I would get this out this weekend but I did it! Even though I've been out for Spring Break I keep getting distracted and not writing. This week my high school band went to competition...and we did bad. :( I'm kinda bummed about it. Reviews for this chapter will make me feel better though. :)**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

(-Kayla-)

We walked through the morning crowds of Central, leaving a quaint café where we had eaten a late breakfast. I didn't feel safe at all, despite the reassuring presences of the brothers. You'd think I'd feel different but no, it made me nervous. As if someone in the crowds would pop out at any minute and point their finger at me and broadcast that I was a chimera, that I didn't belong here or with Al and Ed.

I shook my head. That was just silly. Thoughts like that were only going to worry and distract me. I had to stay focused on the task at hand.

Even while thinking that new thoughts flooded my mind, thoughts of the conversation I had with Al this morning. It astounded me at how much him and his brother had been through in their short lives. Their lives had been normal until their mother had passed away. While she lived, Ed and Al were happy. I compared their childhood with mine and wondered how my life would have been if one of my parents kept me and raised me lovingly. Would I have been happier, even if it were for a few short years? Or was it better that I had never tied myself down to someone only to lose them? I wondered how different the brothers would have been if they had begun with no mother as I had. They wouldn't have been weighed down by the loss of their mother. Then again, they never would have experienced that kind of love and acceptance either. They never would have been apart of a true family.

I nodded to myself and decided that, yes, it would be better to have someone in my life that close to me, even if I lost them all too soon. As I looked at the brothers in front of me I was certain that they would agree. They wouldn't have traded those years with their mother for anything, just as I would hate to never know Serah. I had someone I cared for deeply. My friend. My sister. Serah. That's why I had to find her. I originally thought that all I had was the bond I shared with her and that's all I would ever have. But in having Serah in my life I had gained so much more than her friendship. She gave me a new perspective, one that I hadn't realized I had until yesterday. I knew that Serah was a good person but I had believed her to be the only one. My search for her had brought me to the Elrics, two people who were just as good as Serah. I wouldn't have seen this had I not met Serah in that horrible hell.

Doubt stubbornly lingered within my heart. I wouldn't go so far as to say I trusted Al and Ed with my life. I'm not even sure what we were to each other. Friends? The word sounded foreign to me. I had only ever applied that to Serah, never knowing a real friendship before her. But maybe in time, if I could overcome my fear of trusting people, I could see them that way. I wanted to, desperately so. I wanted to know that there were other people I could trust. It would take me awhile, but maybe soon, it could happen. With them walking by me, I felt the start of a new beginning. Hopefully, one for the better.

"Are you okay, Kayla?" Al brought me out of my thoughts.

I smiled at him, the action coming uneasily to my lips, "I'm just nervous is all. I'm not used to be around so many people and acting so…normal. I'm just out of my comfort zone is all."

Al laughed softly, "I understand. Brother's like that with people all the time."

"What are you saying about me?" Ed asked angrily over his shoulder.

"Just that you're antisocial."

"I'm not antisocial."

Al gave him a pointed look.

Ed ruffled at his stare, "Well I'm not! Just because I'm wary of people doesn't mean I'm antisocial."

"I think you're just paranoid. You're going to have to learn one day that not everyone is out to get you."

"It's not paranoia. I'm just careful is all."

I blinked at them, having a déjà vu moment. Ed and Al's conversation sounded exactly like the conversations I had with myself in my mind all the time. I always told myself that I wasn't paranoid, just cautious, but sometimes I'd question myself.

I smiled and this time, it was genuine. It broadened into a grin when they began bickering about miscellaneous things. The more time I spent with Al and Ed the more I-

A smell drifted past me and my nostrils flared in response. Forgetting my surroundings, I tuned my sense of smell onto the familiar scent. I had smelled it before, but where…?

"Kayla?" Ed's voice came to me.

My eyes wandered in a daze to see him and Al were looking at me strangely. I had stopped walking without even realizing it and now they were curious as to what had caught my attention.

"I smell something." I told them as I sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent again.

"Smell? I don't smell anything." Ed said, confused.

"But Kayla's senses are more heightened than yours." Al informed him.

"Oh yeah." he slapped his head at his forgetfulness. "So what do you smell, Kayla?"

"I don't know…it smells familiar…but…" I murmured. When I caught a whiff of the scent again I followed it. My mind barely registered the brothers trailing after me. I was so focused on this one scent. As I wandered down a street, the smell became stronger and so did my memory.

"Serah!" I gasped as I placed the scent. It had taken me longer to recognize because of how long it had been since I'd seen her last. Now that I was closer I could definitely tell that the smell belonged to her.

I picked up my pace and ran down the street, not caring about the people I bumped into in my haste to find her. I turned a corner into an alley at top speed, the scent becoming increasingly clearer. It was her! She was here! I had finally found her!

I turned another corner and came to a stop as a dead end met me. My eyes darted around frantically. My nose told me that she was here and yet my eyes told me otherwise. How could that be?

The brothers caught up to me, Ed panting as he said, "What's the rush?"

"Serah." I answered quietly.

They walked ahead of me and looked around at the walls and overflowing trash bins.

"No one's here." Al stated.

"But I smelled her."

"Maybe you smelled wrong." Ed suggested.

I shook my head, "No, it's definitely her. I can still smell her." I let my nose lead me to where the smell was strongest. I crouched down by the corner and upon closer inspection I could see dark splotches on the concrete. Surprising Ed and Al, I leaned down and sniffed. I caught a different scent mixed in with hers and couldn't place it. Then I caught a strong coppery smell that made me flinch back.

"What?" the boys asked simultaneously.

"It's blood." I told them. "Serah's blood. It's a couple days old I think, but it's definitely hers."

"Can you track it?" Ed asked.

"Possibly." I answered truthfully. I followed the smell to the neighboring building, an old apartment building with boarded windows. One of the windows had broken boards and dried blood on the sill. Without a word, I jumped inside. I heard Ed come inside as well and Al's clunky footsteps after. It actually surprised me that Al had fit through the window with his bulk armor.

I led them to the other side of the building where another window had been broken. I hopped through it and into another alley. Serah had come through here, along with that other strange scent. I paced down the alley and it opened up to a street. I continued to follow it for a long time. Many minutes passed as I searched. Al and Ed remained silent, allowing me to work in peace.

Eventually, I made it to the end of the trail. We arrived at a bench on a random street. Serah's scent clung to the wood of the bench. I stood there, staring at it.

"This is where it ends. She must have rested here for awhile. But after that, I can't tell which direction she went in. It's like the smell just…stops. " I told them in a sorrowful voice. Finding Serah's scent had brought me a spark of hope and determination. But now that the trail had ended I was lost once again.

Al's large hand rested on my shoulder. I looked up into the glowing orbs in his helmet as he said, "We'll find her."

"But I'm back to square one."

"I wouldn't say that. You've found proof that she was here. You're closer to finding her. She could be nearby."

I hesitated, not wanting to renew the hope so easily. I finally gave in and nodded at his words.

"I wonder why she was bleeding." Ed commented.

"I'm not sure. It could be from when she encountered Scar." I had battled Scar so I knew just how dangerous he could be. Serah was a better fighter than me but if he could have gotten the upper hand somehow he could have seriously wounded her. I only had his word that she had escaped to go on. That and the reassurance that we had not found her body. I shivered at the thought.

"There's something else too." I told them as I sniffed the air again. "Someone else was here."

"Was it Scar?" Ed asked.

"No." I answered definitely. "I fought him and I would remember his scent. This isn't him. I noticed it where we first found Serah's blood too."

"Maybe someone else was with her." Al guessed.

I shook my head. "This smell is fresh. It's as if someone else found her trail too and followed it like we did. The scent isn't familiar but there's something to it. Something that's not…"

"Not what?"

"…_human_."

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

Serah lingered in the library for hours doing her least favorite activity: reading. She loathed it, but until she could find an easier more exciting method she was stuck with books.

After uncovering the information about chimeras and needing what was called the Philosopher's Stone to reverse the conversion, Serah had searched through more books about chimeras. A few of them suggested the same thing but most of them claimed that the stone wasn't even real. That made Serah frown. Stubborn as always, Serah sought more information. She found references in one book about the Sewing-Life Alchemist. Apparently, he had been the closest to creating the perfect chimera. Years ago he had made one that talked but died shortly after. Despite this, maybe he had found some way to reverse the transmutation.

Taking the lead, Serah snooped through more record's rooms. She finally found one that held the relevant information. She found a long list of past State Alchemists and skimmed through until she uncovered the Sewing-Life Alchemist. As she read through it, she identified Shou Tucker as the alchemist and learned of his research and experiments. Her hands tightened on the papers as she learned that he had not only transmuted his wife into a chimera but had also turned his daughter into one as well. His own _daughter_! What kind of bastard does that to his own family? Serah felt some sick satisfaction when she read that he had been executed for his crimes.

"Serves him right." Serah hissed at the papers. The whole thing made her nauseous but she continued reading through it. She didn't see a single thing about reversing the creation of a chimera or anything on the Philosopher's Stone. She did, however, find a couple of familiar names. The names themselves stirred her memories but the fact that they were brothers had her remembering the files she had found on the fifth laboratory. The Elric brothers had lived with Tucker for some time and had later discovered his horrible deeds the night he transmuted his daughter and dog together. For the girl's sake, she hoped the Elrics had beat the hell out of him when they found him. It's what she would have done.

Finding nothing else on the matter, she returned the documents to their drawers and left the room. Next, she went back to the rows of books. She hunted for one subject specifically: the Philosopher's Stone. It was her only lead so far on reversing the chimera process. It could be the first step to her becoming human, something she yearned for so desperately that she had even forgotten her original purpose for coming to the library.

She found a book titled _"The Sage's Stone"_. It sounded similar to what she was looking for so she plucked it off the shelf and flipped through the pages. She read the first paragraph as it listed other names for the Sage's Stone, one of them being the Philosopher's Stone. She smiled at having her hunch proved right.

She would have read more but the sound of footsteps coming her way alerted her. She didn't know who or why they were coming this way. All Serah knew was that she wasn't supposed to be here and if she was caught she would have a hell of a time getting out of it.

"Damn it." she whispered to herself. Deciding to skip that hassle, Serah shoved the book back on the shelf and snuck away from the approaching person. She took a roundabout route to the window she had used to gain entry and left the premises.

As she jogged away from the library, she promised herself that she would return to find out more.

* * *

><p>(-Kayla-)<p>

"What do you mean 'not human'?" Ed asked with wide eyes.

I shrugged, "Just that it's not human. Human's don't all smell the same of course but they all have a similar…_flavor_ of scent. They all have the same trace in their smells but this smell doesn't have that."

"Then what does it smell like?"

I pondered, "Well, I'm not really sure how to explain it. It's just something…other."

Ed crossed his arms in thought. After a minute, he looked to his brother who nodded slightly. The silent conversation confused me but before I could ask Ed distracted me.

"Can you follow this other scent?"

I frowned, not liking his avoidance, "I can try." I turned my attention to this new smell and let my nose lead me once again. We didn't get very far before the scent faded to a well traveled area. I halted my progress and scanned my surroundings.

"I can't really smell it anymore." I told them. "Too many people have come through here and covered it up."

"We might as well keep going in the same direction." Ed suggested, already moving ahead.

As we walked, I fought to stay clam in the sea of pedestrians. I felt overwhelmed by so many around me. It had my stomach twisting nervously. I inched closer to Al, trying to use him to hide as much of myself as possibly. A couple of people who came close had me jump and reach unconsciously for Al. I stopped myself the first few times. But when I felt the beginning of a switch coming on, my hand latched onto his arm.

Al noticed and looked down at me, "Kayla?"

I struggled to keep my breathing normal. I couldn't lose control. Not here. If I switched in the middle of a crowd like this there's no telling what that side of me would do.

Thankfully, Al caught on to my dilemma and suggested to Ed that we take a break in a nearby diner. Ed asked why and Al simply dragged him into the building. I trailed behind them and as soon as they picked out a booth I excused myself to the restroom. I didn't wait for an answer as I nearly ran in my haste to seclude myself. I entered the restroom and sighed when I found it empty. I went to a sink and washed my face off, being careful to keep my hood up in case someone walked inside

I stared into the eyes of my reflection. That had been way too close for comfort. Usually, I avoided the busy streets and used deserted alleys to travel through the city. I had spent too long this morning around so many people and the sudden onslaught of crowds had almost sent me over the edge. I was a skittish person by nature and having cat instincts only increased this. Big cities had never been nor would ever be my sort of place. I preferred open areas where I didn't feel so suffocated. I had never been overly claustrophobic but spending the last four months of my life in a small cage had changed me.

As I rinsed my face off again, I wondered if I could ever overcome these fears.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

"Mind explaining what that was all about?" Ed asked Al.

"What what was all about?"

Ed nodded in the direction Kayla had run off to, "What's up with her? And why'd you want to take a break all of a sudden?"

Al fidgeted under his brother's gaze. He distracted himself by tearing a napkin up delicately, "Kayla's a bit overwhelmed by all of this. She's been through a lot. I don't think she trusts people very easily, not after the fifth laboratory. And being around so many people in the crowds was getting to her." Al recalled how she had stopped him, grabbed his arm, and looked up to him with pleading eyes. The fear in her was obvious and Al thought the best thing for her would be to go somewhere less crowded.

Ed nodded but said, "I understand, but she's going to have to get used to it somehow, now that she's free."

"She just needs time." Al defended her. "I don't even think she trusts _us _fully."

Ed nodded again. Then a small smirk lifted his lips, "But you'll be there for her, won't you Al?"

He tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean, Brother? Of course I will. We both will."

Ed shook his head, "Yes, but differently."

Still confused, Al asked, "What are you saying?"

"You've got to admit Al, she's the perfect girl for you. What with your obsession with cats and all."

Understanding dawned on him and Al would have blushed if he had his body, "Brother!"

Ed laughed, "It's okay, Al. I was only teasing you. Anyway, we should move on to more pressing matters."

"Like what?"

"That scent Kayla mentioned, the one she said wasn't human. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Al nodded, "I think so, though there could be two possibilities."

Ed nodded as well, "Then we're on the same page. Whoever, or whatever Kayla smelled, it could be another chimera."

"Or a homunculus." Al finished for him.

"It's more than likely another chimera but we can't rule out the chance of it being one of the Homunculi. After all, they were at the fifth laboratory too. I don't know what they would want with Kayla's friend though."

They sat at the table in silence for a while, letting the sounds of the other patrons surround them. Al broke into Ed's thoughts by saying, "It's still a little unbelievable."

Ed snapped his head to him, "What is?"

"I never thought I'd see a chimera as perfectly blended as Kayla. And from what she's told me, Serah is an even more perfect chimera. Not even Nina was…" Al trailed off, not wanting to go in that painful direction.

Ed's eyes softened, "Yeah, I know what you mean." Then he laughed bitterly, "It's only taken the military three more years to create the perfect chimera. But I wonder how many people have died in the process."

"How's it going, boys?" A cheery voice startled them out of their serious conversation.

Al and Ed looked up and gasped, "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes!"

"Hey!" the man gave them a little wave and pulled up a chair from a nearby table to sit at the end of their table. "So what brings you guys here?"

"Oh, we were…" Al looked for an excuse but came up with none. They trusted Maes but Kayla was not something they could discuss with him because of his position in the military.

"We were just taking a break from our newest mission." Ed explained smoothly. "And you?"

Maes smiled. "I'm on my lunch break right now and since this place is close to work I come here sometimes. The food here's pretty good but nothing can compare to my beautiful Gracia's cooking! Speaking of which, I have some new photos of her and Elysia! Would you like to see them?"

"NO!" Ed and Al shouted in their rush to stop him.

Maes pouted, "Aw, you guys are no fun. It's probably for the best though. I should be getting back to the office after I pick up some food." He stood up and put his chair back in its spot. He went to leave and stopped himself, "Oh! I nearly forgot! You guys haven't been over in a while. Gracia and I would like it if you came and had dinner with us sometime. I know Elysia would love to see her big brothers again!"

"Heh, we'll try to sometime." Ed promised.

"I'll hold you to it." Maes smirked and left to buy his food and leave.

After the Lt. Colonel had gone, Ed and Al sighed in relief.

"Good thing Kayla didn't come out while he was here." Al said.

"Yeah, but I wonder what's taking her so long."

As if on cue, a commotion was heard coming from the women's restroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Hm, I wonder what's going on there? Seriously, I don't even know what happened there. I'm gonna need to come up with something. *sigh*<strong>

**See ya in two weeks! ...I hope.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thought I forgot about this, didn't ya? Sorry it's a little late. I've just been busy and I only started writing on this late last night. I have to say I'm pretty proud of this chapter for writing it in such a short amount of time.**

**Moving on!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

(-Ed-)

A shrill scream startled the cozy setting of the diner. Everyone, the customers and the workers, glanced around with wide eyes. Ed and Al were the first ones to act, jumping up from their seats and rushing to the women's restroom. Taking no heed of the symbol on the door, Ed flung open…and gasped at what was inside.

Two people stood inside. One was an unfamiliar curly orange-haired woman being held against the tiled wall and getting the air choked out of her. Obviously, she was the one who had screamed. The other, astonishingly enough, was Kayla. As soon as the door slammed open her head snapped to in their direction. She stared at them, no…she _glared _at them. She _glared _at them with a mixture of surprise and hatred along with a touch of fear. The pupil in her greenish-yellow eyes were dilated to an impossible degree. Her ears slicked back, free from the hood of her jacket, as she bared her sharper than average teeth and them and _hissed_ at them in warning.

"Kayla…?" Al trailed off, not knowing what to do. Ed was just as confused as him. What had gotten into Kayla all of a sudden?

People were beginning to gather behind the brothers. As one head bobbed up to get a better look Kayla took notice of the crowd and bolted. She released the woman, who dropped to the floor and scuttled away. Then she jumped up to the high window, unlatched it, and slid out with ease.

"Wait!" Ed and Al shouted in unison but it was too late. She was gone.

"What happened?" Ed asked the woman.

"That freak tried to kill me! That's what happened!" she snapped and cried pitifully. "I was just minding my own business and she came at me!"

"There must have been a reason." Al stated in defense for their friend.

"I didn't do a thing! She was the one mouthin' off to me! The little bitch, I should have done more than slap her."

"You did what?" Ed said past his clench teeth.

The woman ignored him, staring down at her clothes in horror, "Now my dress is all wrinkled and dirty! Why off all the bathrooms in Central did I have to go in to the one with a freak?"

Ed growled at the woman and lurched forward. Only Al's unrelenting grip on his coat stopped him from knocking some sense into the rude woman. Al dragged him past the gawking crowd and out of the diner. There, he let him go.

"What'd you do that for?" Ed demanded furiously. "Didn't you hear what that woman did? Aren't you ticked off?"

"Of course I am." Al admitted calmly. "But fighting isn't going to solve anything. What we need to focus on right now is finding Kayla before someone else does."

Ed sighed. Al always was the more level-headed of the two. And, as usual, he was right. "Fine. Let's go."

They walked along to the back of the diner where the bathroom window was located. As expected, Kayla was nowhere to be seen.

Ed thought for a moment and said, "I'll go this way. You try that direction. She couldn't have gotten far."

"We're gonna split up?" Al questioned.

"Yeah. We'll cover more ground that way. We can meet back at the hotel in a few hours. Sound good?"

"Yes." Al nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'll see you there after you've found Kayla."

"Huh? What makes you think I'll be the one to find her?"

Ed grinned and called back to him as he walked away, "Maybe it's because you have a knack for finding stray cats!"

And with that, the brothers parted ways.

* * *

><p>(-Kayla-)<p>

The moment I switched back to normal I collapsed. I'm not sure where I was or how far I had run. I didn't care. Nor did I worry about my uncovered ears. The only thing I could do was curl up into a ball on the ground of the empty alley I had wandered down and sob. Surprisingly, I didn't cry all that often. I used to, back when I lived with one horrible family after another. There was no reason to cry after I struck out on my own and I never did. That is, until I was taken to the lab. I cried then. Anyone would. But it didn't take long for all of my tears to dry up when the hopelessness set in. I started taking Serah's advice that crying was pointless. It didn't accomplish anything and gave you a headache. So I didn't cry anymore. That had changed yesterday, when I had talked to the Elrics. And here I was again, reduced to a sobbing heap. I must have looked pathetic but I did not care.

The only thing I did care about was Al's echo-y gasp and the look in Ed's eyes when they rushed into the bathroom and saw me. And when I _hissed _at them. They had looked so frightened. Frightened of _me_. It wasn't the fact that I was a chimera. No. That had never scared them. But the way I reacted towards them, the way _I_ had glared at them, that had made them fear me. That was the absolute last thing I ever wanted to do. I had lived my entire life in so much fear and pain that I had vowed to _never_ cause that in another person. That's the reason why I saved that little girl the other day because I never wanted anyone else to suffer the way I had suffered. Not if I could help it. But now, I had done the very thing I had sworn not to do. I had actually made someone fear me. And not just anyone. Al and Ed. The ones who promised to help me. The ones that, even if I couldn't trust entirely, I hoped to one day call them friends. It made me feel so sick and disgusted with myself.

I put my face in my hands and let my sorrow out in hitching sobs. I tried to put the blame on my switches but, even being uncontrollable, they were apart of me. A part of me I loathed. The feeling of that woman's neck under my hands…it had made my alter ego smile in satisfaction. The whole scenario replaying in my mind.

_I stood in the bathroom, gazing at my reflection as I attempted to calm my nerves. The sound of the bathroom door sounded distant to me as I hovered over one of the sinks. The back of my mind followed the presence of the woman who had entered while the rest of me stayed distracted. She stood next to me, looking at her own reflection. Then she washed her hands. I remained captivated by the other me in the mirror. So much so that I wasn't aware when she spoke to me._

_"Excuse me!" she barked louder._

_Finally, I registered her impatient tone and looked at her with an absent-minded expression._

_She huffed, "Would you stop daydreaming already and move so I can dry my hands?"_

_"Oh…" I murmured in a daze._

_"Are you deaf? Move!" she demanded._

_"Oh!" I said, more alert this time. I hopped out of her way and the orange-haired lady immediately claimed the spot as her own. With a quick head-to-toe scan of her I could make a quick assessment. She wore expensive clothes and I was willing to bet that everything else she owned was just as pricey. She was one of those people that thought the world revolved around them and were extremely impatient, not to mention more than a bit rude._

_I breathed an immense sigh of relief when she exited the bathroom. It was good to be alone again. I knew I would have to go back out there and face Ed and Al soon but I wanted to put it off as long as possible._

_The light in the room bounced off an object on the counter, beckoning me to look at it. I picked it up to inspect the small shiny ring. Gold made up the band while the centerpiece consisted of a green gem. This ring must have cost a boat load of cens. It probably belonged to that rude lady. She must have taken it off to wash her hands. I'd just put it back where I found it in case she came back for it. Who says I'm not nice?_

_That's when the door opened and the same orange-haired lady strutted in and glared daggers at me, "You little brat! What do you think you're doing trying to steal my ring?"_

_"I was just " I tried to explain but she never gave me a chance. She slapped me, sending my head reeling. The ring slipped from my fingers and I stumbled back a step._

_"Maybe that will teach you to…" she began but stopped when I looked up at her. My hood had fallen, revealing my ears, oddly striped hair, and cat-like eyes. She took a step back and screamed._

_I wasn't in control of my body anymore. My personality had switched when she had hit me and now all I could feel was the desire to hurt her. I'm not sure if I could ever fully explain what switching is like. I suppose it's similar to a dream. One moment, I'm awake. The next, the dream takes over and all I can do is sit back and watch until it's over or something wakes me up._

_My hands grasped her tiny neck and threw her against the wall behind me. I pinned her there and listened to the choking sounds she made as I strangled her. They only encourage me to squeeze tighter._

_Then the door flew open and _they_ came in. I would have possibly fought them had it not been for the crowd that had gathered. With so many around my senses were screaming at me to flee. And so I did._

And here I am now. This is where my life had brought me to. Every moment, had led me to this lonely alley with nothing but the sound of my own sobs to keep me company.

I looked up at the overcast sky and felt an overwhelming urge to go home. The problem was, I didn't have a home. There was nowhere I could go to seek shelter. There was no one who would welcome me with open arms.

"Where do I belong?" I asked the sky in a broken whisper. Was there somewhere I was meant to be? Or was I meant to spend my life alone, drifting from place to place?

The clouds answered me by sprinkling specks of water on my upturned face. They mingled with my tears, washing my cheeks clean. I wondered when the rain would finally end…

A sound made my ear twitch but I paid it no heed. I didn't care what it was. I continued to let myself wallow in my sadness.

"There you are." a voice called to me.

I looked up…and up and up. A tall suit of armor towered over me. It was Al. It shocked me to the core. He had come for me? Why would he do that?

"Why are you here?" I asked, bewildered.

He surprised me by saying, "I came to make sure you were okay?"

"Why do you care?" I asked. I didn't snap the question at him. It came out as sad and confused.

Al kneeled beside me, his armor chinking at the movement. He still had plenty of height on me. "I care because you're my friend."

"Friend?" I asked, not used to the word. "You want to be my friend? Even after what you just saw?"

He nodded, "I know you have a good heart."

"How?"

"Kayla, if you didn't you wouldn't have risked yourself to protect that little girl. She called you a hero."

Something foreign charged through my veins, a feeling I couldn't decipher, "She said that…about me?"

"Yes. She's safe because of you."

The muscles in my face twitched as the smallest smile graced my lips. At the same time, tears welled up in my eyes again.

Al hesitated, then placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Kayla…what happened back at the diner?"

"I…switched."

He cocked his head to the side, "Are you saying you transformed?"

I shook my head, "No. When I say I switched I mean I…switched personalities. That's the best I can call it. It never happened until I was taken to the lab. I'm not sure why it started happening. Maybe because of the things that they did to me… But whenever my emotions get out of hand, I switch. I've never been able to control it but that's no excuse… Is it?"

"Maybe that's your mind's way of coping with what happened to you." Al suggested. "When things became to tough your mind tried to protect itself."

"Maybe…" I said. I hugged my knees tight to my chest and wiped at my eyes, "I don't think I'm a bad person…I've just…"

"Been through a lot of bad things." Al finished, understanding perfectly the way I felt.

My ears perked up as I stared up at him in wonder. Of course he knew how I felt. He felt the exact same way. What he was showing me wasn't sympathy. It was _empathy_. He had experienced the same feelings. Him and Ed. This was why they were helping me. They didn't want others to feel the same way, not while they could help it.

"Friend?" I asked again.

"We're friends." he affirmed without a second's hesitation.

A feeling spiked in my chest, one that warmed the coldness that had lingered there for so long. I knew, without a doubt, that he was telling the truth…and that I could trust him.

Al stood offering me a hand, "Let's get you back to the hotel before it starts pouring out here."

I took his gauntlet hand and stood with his help. I looked up at the sky and smiled, "No. I think the rain has finally stopped."

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

Al stared at her in silent surprise. That had to be the first time he had seen her truly smile, without any pain or sadness lingering in her eyes. For the first time since he met her, her eyes were bright and optimistic. He hoped it would stay that way.

They left the alley, Kayla covering her ears with her hood once again. He wished she didn't have to hide at all, that she could walk down the street freely. But, unfortunately, she couldn't. Because, even though Al and Ed had accepted her the way she is other people would only see her as a chimera and as something dangerous.

For a moment back at the diner, Al had seen her as dangerous. He couldn't deny it. The way she had looked at him with such anger… It just wasn't her. At least now he knew why she had acted so different. It was strange, a person being able to switch personas like that. It must have been quiet a burden on her, not being able to control it.

The returned to the hotel. Ed was nowhere to be seen so Al assumed he was still out in the city somewhere. Kayla sat on the couch at first, but her eyes wandered longingly over to the beds.

"You're tired. You should rest." Al told her.

She looked at him with a guilty expression at having been caught, "That's okay. I can stay awake until Edward gets back."

"Kayla." Al chided. "Your body needs sleep. Go ahead and rest. I'll wake you up when Ed gets here."

"…Alright." she surrendered. She trudged over to one of the beds and curled up on the soft comforter, reminding Al of a cat. Al stayed on the couch and let his mind wander for awhile. He figured Kayla had already fallen asleep but her voice called out softly, "Al?"

"Hm?" he hummed a reply.

"…You have a good heart too." she told him. Without waiting for a response she rolled over, giving her back to him.

If Al had a mouth, he would have smiled.

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

It had been a long day for the fox chimera. After high tailing it from the library she roamed around the city, hoping to find a clue of her lost friend somewhere. She didn't find anything, which pissed her off because she felt she was pointlessly walking around. As nightfall swiftly approached she decided to head back to the Hughes's house. She would need some rest and much needed food. Maybe Gracia would cook a big dinner again. Just thinking about that woman's cooking sent her mouth watering.

A sound caught Serah's attention. She could hear their light footsteps as they trailed behind her. She knew she was being followed by someone. How long had they been tailing her? Damn. She should have been more focused on her surroundings. She didn't need this shit.

Rather than beat around the bush, Serah turned on her heel and eyed the area around her. A shadow danced behind a building out of site. Frowning, Serah marched over and turned the corner. The person stumbled back, startled.

"Okay, who are you and why the hell are you following me?" Serah demanded.

The person, Serah had assumed was a girl by the frame of the body, stood there, hiding underneath a pale green hood. She raised her hands steadily and a childlike voice came out of her, "I mean you no harm."

Serah cocked an eyebrow, her hands settling on her hips, "Oh yeah? Prove it."

The girl looked around them cautiously before saying, "Alright." She reached two delicate, pale hands with nails that resembled claws to her hooded face and revealed what laid underneath.

Serah took in the sight. The first thing she noticed was the hair. It was pure white and cropped short for the most part except for two long braids that reached below her breasts. The next thing Serah noticed were her astonishing big red eyes. The rest of her face held small features that made her appear mousy. Another odd thing were her ears. The were more rounded than normal ones but about the same size. They were as white as her hair. Overall, she looked exotic and couldn't have been more than twelve years old.

With a timid expression, she said, "My name is Padma. I'm a chimera, like you."

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh, things are getting interesting. I'd like to thank Rokuchuchu for letting me use his OC Padma. I'd also like to thank Sense Marauder for inspiring a good chunk of this chapter. Couldn't have done it without you guys.<strong>

**Now, enjoy an omake of when Kayla was in the bathroom. Inspired by DoctorWhoaliaantheOlympians.**

* * *

><p><strong>OMAKE<strong>

I splashed water on my face as I hovered over the sink. I had to calm myself and…

Suddenly, one of the stalls opened and out walked a familiar face. My eyes widened as I spun around. "Scar?" I asked in astonishment.

He walked over to the sinks and washed his hands as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, taking a step back.

He snorted, "Using the bathroom. What do you think." Then he dried his hands and walked out.

I gaped in the direction he had left. That was…weird.

* * *

><p><strong>See ya in two weeks! ...hopefully.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey party peoples! Sorry I haven't updated this in so long. At first I was just really busy but later on I just kept getting distracted. You know me, I see something shiny and that's all it takes. *sigh* And plus I have problems with procrastination. I should really work on that but, eh, I'll do something about it later.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

(-Serah-)

Serah cocked an eyebrow at the chimera who had introduced herself as Padma. This was certainly unexpected. "I'll be damned. I'm gonna take a guess and say that you escaped from the fifth laboratory."

Padma nodded, "Yes."

She scratched her head, "Small world, eh? How'd you find me?"

The young girl shifted uneasily. Nothing about Serah was making her act this way, the girl just seemed tentative by nature. "I found traces of your blood and followed your scent. I could tell you were a chimera so I wanted to meet you. But you look more like a regular person."

Serah sighed, stuffing her hands in her pants pockets while tilting her head back to gaze at the stars, "I was one of the ones who took to the change better. My DNA was more compatible or some shit like that. Although I never saw anyone else as advanced as I was, I doubt that I was the only successfully combined chimera."

"You're not," Padma said softly.

Serah glanced back at her sharply, "What was that?"

She averted her eyes and fiddled with her fingers as she answered, "The area where they kept me had others that looked like you. They were chimeras but they looked human. When the lab began to collapse, a strange man offered to lead them if they would join them."

"A strange man?" Serah asked. "What, a chimera?"

"No, he was something…different. He didn't smell like a human at all." Padma visibly shuddered. "I was too scared to go with them so I escaped on my own. But I've heard that they fled to Dublith."

"Wait, where did you hear that from?"

"Another chimera named Bido. I found him shortly after the escape. He left to join the group that went to Dublith. He's the only other chimera I've been able to find, besides you."

Serah was silent for several moments. Ideas consumed her mind, ones that could explain her lack of finding Kayla. She could have left with this group. Sure, Kayla never trusted people easily but these were chimeras, like her, save for the weirdo leader. She could have joined up with them out of necessity.

"Say, did you see a cat eared girl with this group?" Serah asked.

Padma shook her head, "No, is she your friend?"

Serah slumped, "Yeah, and finding her is becoming a pain in my ass."

For the first time, Padma's expression turned lively, "So you're searching for your friend too! I've been looking all over for my friend, Gillian. Have you seen her?"

"Sorry, short stuff. You're the first chimera I've seen since I busted out of that joint."

Padma's eyes dimmed in defeat, "I had hoped you would know something."

"So are you a mouse?" Serah asked abruptly.

Padma looked up at her, startled, "Wh-what?"

"You look all mousey. They blended you with a mouse, right?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Serah rubbed her chin in thought, "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't run into Kayla. With her being a cat and all she might have eaten you."

Padma, if at all possible, turned paler, "Oh my…"

Then she waved it away, "Anyway, I guess there's nothing else we can do about it except for keep searching for our friends."

The younger girl nodded, "Alright then." She replaced her hood and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Serah called out with an outstretched hand, "You dummy! I didn't say you had to go. We're a couple of oddballs so why not stick together?"

Padma smiled at her from the shadows of her hood, "I appreciate you're offer but I've grown accustomed to living in the streets. Besides, we'll uncover more information if we split up."

Serah shrugged, not trying to stop her from leaving. If the girl said she could handle herself then she would take her word for it. Plus, she kinda had a point. "So I'll keep an eye out for your Gillian and you'll do the same for my Kayla?"

"Of course!" Padma called back to her. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Serah."

"Good luck to you Serah." Those were Padma's last words as she melted into the darkness.

"Damn, she's a fucking ninja," Serah breathed in awe. She couldn't even hear the mouse chimera anymore. Serah stood there a minute longer until her stomach reminded her of where she had been headed. Putting the brief, yet unexpected encounter behind her, Serah left for the Hughes's home. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was going to meet Padma again and, for some reason, that put her on edge.

* * *

><p>(-Kayla-)<p>

I awoke to the sound of a door opening and closing. I'm a perpetual light sleeper so it wasn't surprising that the soft noise woke me. Despite being fully awake, I pretended to still be sleeping, keeping my breaths exaggerated to make it believable.

"Hey, did something happen?" Edward's voice reached my ears. I fought to keep my ears still when they wanted to flick at the new sounds.

"Not really. She just went to sleep a little while ago," Alphonse spoke, both of them talking in whispers.

"Did she tell you what happened?"

"Yes." Al then proceeded to explain my condition, how I switched personalities when I became too stressed.

"Is something like that even possible?" Ed asked, baffled.

"You think she's lying?"

"No, no," Ed replied quickly. "I've just never heard of such a thing. I suppose if someone is put through a traumatic enough event something's bound to leave it's mark. I guess this is, in a way, a scar. An emotional one, that is."

I felt eyes on my back but I didn't give any sign that I was aware of them. Al's next question hinted that Ed was the one staring at me, "What are you thinking about Brother?"

Edward sighed, "I was just thinking about how she attacked that lady. That woman had it coming to her, but what if Kayla had switched and acted violently towards an innocent bystander."

Al gasped, "She wouldn't do that!"

"From what I heard she has no control over it. We already know she's strong. She even stood toe-to-toe with Scar. She could potentially hurt someone if she wasn't careful. There's no telling when she'll snap. And when she does she could go after anyone, even us."

"But we're her friends!" Al argued, firmly placing his faith in me. It warmed my heart to hear him defend me so passionately, but every one of Ed's words were hitting me like physical slaps.

"That doesn't change the fact that she's dangerous."

I'd had enough. I sat up, no longer caring if they knew I was awake. I heard Ed's breath hitch and when I turned around he was looking at me in alarm.

"Kayla!" Al exclaimed.

I just shook my head at them with an expression filled with sorrow and anger. I was angry at Ed for not believing in me, but at the same time I could understand. Edward had comprehended the severity of my condition better than Alphonse had. That didn't make it any less painful.

"I get it," I said, my voice somewhat strained with emotion. "I could switch at any moment and end up hurting you guys. Neither of us want that so I'll just leave." Rather than going past them to use the door, I opted on fleeing through the window. I slid it open with ease and jumped out before they could say anything more.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

"Wait!" Al called, him and Ed rushing to the window. Kayla stood in the alley down below. She gave them a parting glance and then disappeared around the corner.

"That went well," Ed said sarcastically.

Al clenched his fists, trembling in fury. Completely catching Ed off guard, he reared back and punched him.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Ed complained, sitting on the floor where he was knocked down.

"You didn't have to be so mean to her Ed!" Al shouted.

"I wasn't mean! I simply stated the facts." Ed defended himself, standing up.

"You could have been nicer about it. We're the only friends she has right now and you had to turn her away."

"I didn't turn her away! I just didn't think she'd get up and walk out." he sighed and went to the door.

"Brother?" Al asked as to where he was going.

He turned back to him, "We should leave now if we're gonna catch up to her."

Al stared at him in confusion, "But I thought you…"

"I meant what I said when I told her we'd help her. I don't go back on my promises, you know that Al." Ed smiled at him and left. Al followed hurriedly behind him.

"Alright, then why were you saying all of those things earlier?" Al questioned as they left the hotel and went towards the direction Kayla had gone.

"Al, you're too trusting of people. That's gonna get you hurt one day," Ed muttered.

"We can trust Kayla," Al said stubbornly.

"But we can't trust that she'll keep control of herself," Ed refuted. "That's what I was trying to tell you. We need to be careful when it comes to Kayla and this alternate personality she has. If not, then we won't be prepared for when she loses control. That's the only way we can help her control it."

Al said nothing, choosing instead to ponder his brother's words. He had to admit, it made sense. But he wasn't going to forgive Ed until he apologized to Kayla. Even if he was right, Ed could have handled it better instead of with his usual tactlessness.

They paused at an intersection, glancing all around to see which way Kayla might have gone. The cat chimera could have went anywhere.

As they were trying to decide on a direction, Ed growled to Al, "Alright, cat whisperer. Which way did she go?"

"Why are you asking me?" Al exclaimed.

"Al, you can sense a stray from a mile away. I think you would know where to find her."

Al sweat dropped. That was sort of true…kittens tended to call to him often. But still, it's not like he was psychic or anything. They'd just have to pick a direction and hope for the best.

"Let's try this way," Al pointed down an alley leading towards a less populated area of Central. He was just going on instinct, figuring that Kayla would avoid people if she could.

They set off down the alley, all the while Ed muttering about how they had to hunt Kayla down twice in one day.

Ignoring his ramblings, Al asked, "Do you think she might have turned into a cat?"

Ed stopped his mutterings and shrugged, "It's possible. It would be harder to find her that way and…" He trailed off and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Something sounded in the distance. _A growl?_ Al wondered. And then some definite barking followed

"You don't think…?" Al asked Ed.

He grinned, "Oh, I do think. Come on!"

The two rushed down the abandoned street filled with houses of sleeping families. They followed the sounds to one of the homes' backyards and found a Doberman barking viciously at something in a tree. The large dog growled at the figure perched in the tree, the girl hissing back down at the canine.

"Bingo!" Ed grinned, hopping over the fence that sectioned the yard off. He had barely landed when Al practically flew over to the dog.

The dog stopped its wild howls and glanced up to see a terrifying suit of armor looming over it. The Doberman whimpered and scampered away with its tail between its legs.

Ed watched the dog and whistled, "You sure can be scary sometimes, Al."

"Is it gone?" a shaky voice asked from above.

The brothers turned to look up, finding Kayla crouched on a branch. Her eyes glowed from the dim lighting of the street lights reflecting off of them. The rest of her was hidden in the shadows of the leaves.

"It's gone. There's nothing to worry about anymore," Al told her, making his tone as reassuring as possible.

"What are you doing up there, Kayla?" Ed asked with a frown.

Al wanted to knock some sense into him, "Brother, there was a big dog after her."

He shrugged, "Big deal. It was just one dog. If she can face Scar then she can handle one lousy mutt."

"That was my other side fighting him though," Kayla told him. "I loathe fighting, and I don't even know how to. But my other side likes to fight and knows how to very well. It, she, whatever you want to call it, is the complete opposite of me…and I hate it." Her voice had turned resentful, but then it quickly changed as an almost comical gloomy cloud hovered over her. "But I hate dogs even more. Even before I was turned into a cat chimera they always freaked me out."

Ed scratched his head as an awkward silence filled the area. Al nudged him, wanting him to get on with it. Ed sent him a glare but complied.

"Look Kayla, about earlier…I didn't mean to upset you."

The girl's head tilted as she asked, "That's why you're here? To…apologize?"

He crossed his arms and pouted, "Yeah, Al made me." Al saw Kayla's expression brighten at this as she looked to Al. Ed went on, "But I'm not taking back what I said. I meant it. You're other side is dangerous, especially without proper control. If we're not careful you could end up seriously hurting someone."

Kayla curled in on herself and Al could scarcely see her ears fold back against her head, "It's not like I asked to be this way. It's those stupid scientists that did this to me. It's their fault." Al felt a pang of sympathy as he heard her words because it sounded like she was trying to convince herself. It was obvious that she held some amount of guilt for her actions.

"That's why we'll do everything to help you, Kayla," Al told her encouragingly. "We can help you learn how to control your switches, right Brother?"

"Right!" Ed grinned as they gave each other a thumbs up.

"But…what if it's not possible?" she asked hesitantly, almost as if she were afraid to hope.

"It won't stop us from trying," Al said, "and we won't give up. We can do this together."

Kayla, rendered speechless, closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. But the small smile told Al that she wasn't refusing their help.

"Alright then. Let's head back," Ed said confidently.

Kayla nodded but lingered in the tree.

"What is it, Kayla?" Al asked.

"Um…you're sure that dog's gone, right?" she asked, glancing around fearfully.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you hate dogs," Ed commented. She nodded but refused to come down.

Al held his hands out to her, "It's okay. I'll protect you."

She eyed him with an unreadable expression. Then she hopped into his waiting arms. He was about to set her down when she said, "Don't." Al looked at her questioningly and, if he wasn't mistaken, she actually blushed, "It's just that I like high places better and this neighborhood is crawling with dogs. So, if you don't mind…"

"Oh. Sure, it's fine," he said, letting her perch on his shoulder. He caught a glimpse of Ed giving him a cheeky smile before they set off.

As they walked back, Kayla struck up a conversation with them, "I can't believe you guys actually came looking for me…again."

"Well, if you would stop running off we wouldn't have to," Ed retorted.

Kayla sulked, and Al yelled, "Brother! Stop being rude."

Ed grumbled but otherwise ignored his brother's scolding.

"So Kayla," Al began. "About what you said earlier…do you really hate being a chimera."

She stared at him in confusion for a moment, then said, "Oh, when I said I hated being this way I didn't mean being a chimera. I just meant the switches. I don't mind being a chimera. In fact, I love it! It's really cool and my senses are so much better than when I was normal. And I have so much energy and I barely have to sleep and-oh, sorry. I'm babbling." She looked away, embarrassed.

"It's alright, I like seeing you this way," Al told her with a smile in his voice. She looked back at him and gave him one of her small smiles. The more time they spent with her the more she seemed to trust them, and the more she trusted them the more her true personality was showing… And the more of herself that she showed, the more Al began to really like her.

* * *

><p>(-?-)<p>

She scanned over the numerous files, inspecting each document for any useful information. All of the files here had either been stolen or copied from the military's personal reports, all dealing with the incident at lab five and the follow up information regarding the chimera sightings. The woman and her team had been working at the fifth laboratory when the commotion began. Luckily, some of the workers were able to escape. She herself had been one of the prominent alchemists stationed there and it wasn't all that simple to gather what was left of her team, but she was ambitious and prided herself at being the best at what she does. She didn't stop until she had regained a sufficient team and afterwards she set out to finish what they started at lab five: to make the perfect soldiers. First they would have to recapture their specimens so that they could resume their research. Some had died in the lab's collapse and some had escaped the city but there were still more in Central and she would find every last one of them.

"Ma'am," the door flew open as her second in command rushed into her office.

"What is it Gerard? You know I don't like to be interrupted," she replied, not bothering to look up from the piles of papers on her desk.

"Alpha team has located a chimera in the northern precinct of Central. How do you wish to proceed?"

She smiled, glancing up at him. Her long curtain of thick black hair swayed at her movements. The woman leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and tan arms as the smile turned absolutely manic.

"Tell them to follow it but do not approach. Keep an eye on it for now."

"Yes ma'am, but Miss Ana, why not capture it now?" he asked her, puzzled.

Ana glanced out the dark window, a sadistic grin pulled up her lips as she gazed into the reflection of her own dark eyes, "I have something more entertaining planned."

* * *

><p><strong>So, a new player has entered the mix and it looks like she's stirring up trouble. Also, there's Padma who we haven't seen the last of either. Things are starting to get interesting...<strong>

**Thanks for this chapter goes to Rokuchuchu, who has helped me plan out the rest of my story as well. You rock dude!**


	13. Chapter 13

**YAY! I finally updated this story! Sorry for the long wait guys but I've been working on other stuff. I don't really have much else to say other than thank you to everyone who's reviewed!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

(-Kayla-)

After entering the hotel room Ed went straight for his bed. "Alright guys, I'm beat," he sighed as he landed on his bed. His whole body slumped into the mattress and it wouldn't be too long until he fell asleep.

I shook my head at the boy and turned to gaze out the window. The moonlight fell upon the near empty street, a car or two passing every now and then. Trees were sparse in this area, making me frown. I enjoyed nature immensely, trees more than anything. That's another reason, besides the crowds, that I avoided big cities like Central. There just wasn't enough vegetation for my taste. How I'd love to be surrounded by trees right now and sprawl lazily in their limbs while watching the stars.

"Kayla?" Pulling out of my reverie, I glanced at Al. He kept his voice low for Ed's sake, though judging from the boys heart rate and breathing he wasn't out quite yet. "Aren't you going to go to sleep?"

I shook my head and answered in a soft voice as well, "I don't need that much sleep, just a few naps here and there. Cats are nocturnal anyways so I find it harder to sleep at night. So I guess you're stuck with my company."

Al chuckled, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

I gave him a small smile but gave Ed a look when he grunted and rolled over. We were probably annoying him. Heh, oops. I wish I could talk to Al without worrying about keeping Ed awake.

As an idea struck me, I rushed over to Al in the blink of an eye, "Hey Al, wanna go for a walk? I'd really like to go outside. Please?"

"Oh sure," he laughed but seemed to second guess himself when he glanced at his brother.

Ed, as if he knew Al was looking to him for permission, said, "Just be careful. And I swear to gate if you run away again Kayla I am not coming after you again."

"Brother!" Al chided.

A moment later, Ed groaned, "Not until a decent hour anyway."

And with that, Al and I left the hotel room. I breathed in the fresh air of night, smelling a few lingering traces of people and exhaust from cars. The stars were out and I couldn't help but be in a cheerful mood. Maybe that was because I could sense a warm front coming in. It's been chilly for the past week and some warmer weather would be most appreciated.

"I'm surprised," Al commented as we walked in a random direction.

"At what?"

"That you wanted to come out here. I thought you didn't like to be around others."

I shrugged, "I suppose, but it only really unnerves me when I'm in bigger crowds or small rooms. But there's less people around at night so it's okay. Plus, I love to be outdoors when I can."

"You would like Resembool then," he said as he took on a wistful tone. "There are lots hills and flowers and even a river. Ed and I used to play at the river with our friend Winry and sometimes Winry's dad would go with us and taught us how to fish. Ed was always mad because I caught more than he did."

"What about trees? Are there any there?"

"Oh yeah, there's plenty! In fact there's a whole forest on the edge of the town. It's so big I got lost in it one time. Brother eventually found me though."

I smiled at the image of his hometown, "It must be pretty."

"It is. I hope I can show it to you one day." We walked in a comfortable silence until Al suggested, "You want to head to the park? It's not far from here."

I brightened up and nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah!" Now that he mentioned it I could smell that we were close. I let my nose lead me as I charged down the sidewalk.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Al called, running after me.

I giggled at him. Then I stopped that action because it was so new to me. It shocked me so completely. I couldn't remember the last time I really laughed, let alone giggle, and here I was the happiest I had been in so long. I grinned and laughing again, just enjoying the feeling.

For a suit of armor Al kept up with me pretty well. In no time at all we reached the park and immediately I hopped into a tree and sat on a low branch.

I smiled as Al stood in front of me, "Look, now we're the same height."

"You sound happy all of a sudden," he noticed, and I think if he had a mouth he would be smiling.

I leaned back on the trunk of the tree to look up into the starry sky as I answered, "I guess I am. It's just that, for the first time in my life I feel…hopeful. I'm still worried about Serah, but I know now that she's alive at least. And I have a feeling that wherever she is she's okay. She's a lot tougher than me and is probably here in Central somewhere trying to find me."

"Right," Al agreed with me. "It's only a matter of time before you find each other. And now that you have us to help it'll be that much easier."

I looked at him, a warmth blossoming in my chest. "You know Alphonse, I've never had someone to ever rely on. It's always been just me. I've never had anyone to call my friend until Serah and that itself I thought was a one in a million chance."

He cocked his head, "What about when you traveled around? Didn't you meet people?"

"Oh yeah, I met lots of people. Most were kind enough…others were not. But the ones that were I experienced their company only in passing. There were some people that let me work for a meal or would outright offer a night in their home like I was apart of the family. But then I'd move on. I didn't stay in one place for long."

"Why not?" he asked as he leaned against the tree.

"…I could say that it was simply because I wanted to travel, which was true but only to an extent. I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone completely. I'd convince myself to move on before it got bad because somehow, some way, it would always become bad…and that fear always sent me running."

"But not from us," Al said in a light voice.

I smiled at him, "Not now but in the beginning I did. Remember?"

He chuckled, "Yes. I was wondering at the time why Miss Kitty kept running away."

"She was scared…She's still scared."

"…Kayla?" I looked over to him with sorrowful eyes. "I promise to you that I will never hurt you. I'll protect you and always be your friend no matter what."

Again, that same warmth tightened in my chest. It was a strange sensation I've never felt before and it confused me while at the same time bringing me comfort. But still, that same old guarded part of me screamed at me to be wary of his words, to not fall for them and it actually hurt because I wanted to. And I was surprised that it wasn't just because I wanted to believe in _someone_. I wanted to believe in _Al_.

"I…I want to believe you, I really do. But I can't help but feel scared. But I don't want to feel scared anymore."

"As long as you want to believe then that's good enough for me."

It was words like that that made me want to believe in him. His patience, his undeniable kindness, his generosity. Speaking of which, I never did thank him.

"Um, Al?"

"Yeah?"

For some reason I couldn't look at him and nervously pulled at a loose string on my jacket, "I just wanted to…thank you…for everything you've done for me. Both you and Ed."

He radiated happy vibes as he responded, "It's alright. That's what friends are for."

"Friends," I murmured and smiled to myself. The word was still new to me but I loved the sound of it. And now that I think about sounds…One of my ears twitched as I sat up and concentrated.

Al, noticing my sudden alertness, asked, "What is it?"

"I hear something," I whispered to him.

He scanned the park, puzzled, "I don't see anyone."

As I deciphered the sound I smiled, "Who said it was a person?" Not giving him time to answer my rhetorical question, I jumped down and followed my ears. Al tagged along and not far from our tree we found the source of the noise.

"Hey little guy," I cooed, reaching in the hollow of an old oak tree and pulling out a fuzzy black and white kitten.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Al cried in excitement. It amused me to see a giant suit of armor so enthusiastic by the sight of a kitten.

We sat on the ground with the kitten between us, both of us petting it. For a wild kitten he seemed perfectly fine with strangers fussing over him. He leaned into our touches and meowed at us in contentment. Al and I mostly talked about how cute the kitten was for the next few minutes. Then the kitten decided to get frisky and began climbing on me. He made it up my arm and began smelling me, probably wondering why he was smelling a feline scent when I appeared human. He got over it quickly, deciding that I was okay. So okay in fact, he dove into the recesses of my hood behind my neck.

I laughed, "Hey! That tickles! Al, help me out, would you?" I would have gotten the kitten myself but I didn't want to hurt him by trying to pull him out.

Al removed the kitten carefully, only to have the little scamp gnaw at his fingers. "Don't be like that kitty! I'm sorry, what did I do?"

I giggled at him, "Al, he's not mad at you. He just wants to play."

He looked up at me and gasped, "Wait, can you understand him?"

I shook my head and couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous notion, "I may be part cat but it doesn't automatically mean I can communicate with them. But because I have animal senses they can tell me things that ordinary people can't tell. Things like emotions. If the emotion is strong enough I can smell if someone is sad, angry, happy, etcetera."

"Oh," he replied thoughtfully. He plucked a stick off the ground and began playing with the kitten. The kitten responded by biting at the stick and clawing at it.

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"About what you guys said before…when you said that you'd help me control my switches…how are you going to do that?"

"I'm not really sure," he answered honestly. "Your switches are linked to your emotions, right?"

I nodded, "Whenever I panic or become too stressed I switch automatically. Sometimes I can feel it coming but I can't stop it unless I run away from the problem."

"So all we need to do is make it to where you can control your emotions. That way you can control your switches."

My eyes widened, "You really think it's that easy?"

"It's probably harder than it sounds but it's worth a try. Maybe we should think of your switches like fighting."

He lost me there, "But…I don't like fighting."

"No, I didn't mean that you would have to fight. I meant to say that your switches and fighting are fundamentally similar. The woman who taught Brother and I alchemy also taught us how to fight. Teacher said in order to train the body you must also train the mind."

"So I've got to train my mind?"

"Exactly!"

I stared down at the kitten that still played with Al, then back up to Al himself. He seemed to be waiting for an answer of some sort.

Finally, I nodded, "Alright. I'm in your hands, Al."

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

Serah woke up the next morning confused. A toddler sat in front of her bed. Said child sat on the floor and kept stealing glances at Serah and going back to writing something on paper.

"Hey," Serah peered at the little girl. "…what are you doing?"

Elysia smiled, "I'm coloring my big sister!" The girl proceeded to show Serah the piece of paper, which had a colored drawing of Serah on it. Sure it was a child's drawing and hard to decipher, but Serah knew it was her. The fox ears on her head were a dead give away.

_Ah, shit!_ Serah cursed inwardly, barely stopping herself from yelling it out loud. Elysia's parents would not be thrilled if she picked up some colorful words from her 'big sister'. Serah frantically felt the top of her head and, sure enough she felt fuzzy fox ears. She must have somehow partially transformed in her sleep. The chimera reverted to a normal state just as Hughes bounded through the door.

"There you are, Elysia!" he exclaimed. Serah winced at how loud he was. How could anyone be so cheerful this early in the morning?

"I colored Big Sister!" the girl told her father happily.

Hughes inspected the drawing curiously and Serah's stomach dropped. "Honey, what are those things on her head?"

"Her doggie ears!" she answered sweetly.

Serah laughed nervously, "Heh, you know how kids are! Everything with animal ears is automatically fifty percent cuter. Say, I bet Elysia would be even more precious with bunny ears!"

Hughes went right along with it and squealed over the image of Elysia with bunny ears. Serah sighed in relief and mentally patted herself on the back for such quick thinking. In the future she'd have to be more careful. She was just lucky that little Elysia was the one to see her in such a state rather than one of her parents.

"So. I've got to head into work so you two play nice." He gave Elysia a big bear hug and, surprising Serah, he ruffled her own hair affectionately. Serah growled but seeing that big grin on his face she couldn't help but smile back. Then he strolled out the door to head for work.

With just the two girls left, silence sat upon them. Until Serah's stomach growled that is. She rubbed her stomach and moaned, "I'm so hungry."

Elysia giggled, "You missed breakfast."

Serah's face fell, "Seriously? I can't believe I slept so late!" With a groan, she fell back onto the bed, "Do me a favor kid, next time it's time for breakfast just slap me with a waffle would ya?"

That made the girl laugh again and she added, "But Mommy saved you some leftovers."

Serah shot up, "Then what are we waiting for? LET'S GOOO!" Serah swooped Elysia up in her arms and flew down the stairs with almost inhuman speed, causing the child to cheer. When they reached the kitchen she let her down and greeted Gracia.

"Good morning!"

"Oh, you're up," Gracia smiled. "Would you like something to eat?"

If Serah had her tail out it would be wagging. "Yes please!" she nodded vigorously.

As Serah ate, Gracia mentioned that she needed to go grocery shopping and pick up a few things.

"It would be a big help if you'd watch Elysia for me while I'm out," she finished.

Serah blinked at the woman, "You want _me_ to baby sit for you? You sure you're okay with that?"

"Of course," the woman smiled. "If you want you can take her to the playground right down the street."

"Yay! Let's go to the playground, Big Sister!" Elysia cried, entirely for the idea. Without warning, the little girl grabbed her hand and drug her towards the door. Serah was still too stunned by the change of events to fight back.

"Be safe, and don't stay out too long!" Gracia called after them.

Serah was led down the street to a quaint playground that held a slide, several swings, and a merry-go-round. Elysia veered for the nearest swing set and called for Serah to come push her.

Serah sweat dropped, "This kid's got way too much energy." She relented and went to push the girl on the swing. As they played Serah really questioned the sanity of Elysia's parents. Didn't they know better than to leave their daughter with a complete stranger? Sure, Serah was an easy going gal but even she wondered why they would trust her so easily. Some people she would never understand.

The two of them swung until that got boring. Then they slid a bunch of times until they finally ended up going to the merry-go-round. Elysia huddled down in the center while Serah spun the ride as fast as it would go before jumping on herself. Their laughs filled the air as they each had a blast.

As the merry-go-round slowed from their most recent go around, Serah collapsed backwards on to the flat surface. She was starting to get sick from all of this spinning.

"Big Sister, are you okay?" Elysia asked, hovering over her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just need to catch my breath is all. Why don't you go swing and I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Okay!" she replied cheerily and ran off.

Serah shook her head with a small smile and remained where she was. She stared up at the clouds, keeping her ears trained on Elysia. At one point she heard some other people arrive to the playground but it was only a group of kids and was of no concern. Serah lazily moved the merry-go-round with her feet, all the while wondering what Kayla was up to at the moment.

"That's ours, so move it!" a little boy's voice complained.

Serah looked up to where Elysia had been swinging. She sat in her swing unmoving while a group of little boys ganged up on her.

"But I was here first!" Elysia argued.

"We always use these swings. So you better move!"

A tick mark appeared on Serah's forehead. What was it with little kids and their inability to share? Serah hoped she hadn't been as bratty and selfish as these tykes when she was their age.

"Hey," Serah growled from behind the group of boys. They turned around and their eyes widened to see Serah looming over them, a threatening gleam in her eyes. "You twerps better get lost if you know what's good for you. You're giving me a headache with all your whining, so BEAT IT!"

"Aaaaaah!" they screamed as they ran for their lives. As they cleared the area Serah chuckled with a big evil grin on her face.

"Big Sister?"

Serah looked down to Elysia, wondering if she had scared her too by accident. Nope. The girl was gazing at her with nothing more than curiosity.

"Why do you have doggy ears and a tail?"

Serah blanched and felt her head. _Oh crap_, she thought. Next she checked behind her back and saw her fluffy, orange fox tail complete with a white tip. At times like these when Serah became riled up her animal traits appeared sometimes. Not always when she was angry but whenever they did it just had to be at inconvenient times like _now_.

She kneeled in front of the kid and spoke to her in a serious tone, "It's a little complicated and I wasn't always like this but that's how I am now. But please Elysia, we've got to keep this our little secret. Can you do that for me?"

Elysia didn't even hesitate. She nodded and asked in awe, "Can I pet your ears?"

"You want to pet them?" she asked incredulously? Shouldn't the girl be afraid or something? Serah was something unnatural, loathsome, and she wanted to pet her? Serah shrugged and chalked it up to the innocence of a child. Elysia didn't know any better than to see her as some big person like dog. Others would see her for what she truly was though and those were the ones that would hate her, curse her, and run away.

Elysia reached out with her small hands as Serah bent down for her. She poked one ear and was rewarded with a twitch. The girl giggled and rubbed her ears gently.

Serah closed her eyes and smiled, "You know, that actually kind of feels good."

Elysia laughed some more, "Your tail is wagging just like a doggie!"

"It does that sometimes," Serah said with a laugh of her own.

With a sigh, Serah suggested that they head back to the house. It had already been about an hour since they left and Gracia would be getting back soon. Instead of pouting like Serah expected her too, Elysia just smiled and jogged off down the sidewalk.

Serah rolled her eyes at the kid's enthusiasm. Making sure that she reverted back to normal, Serah ran off after her.

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

Serah heard the front door open and turned to see Gracia enter the house loaded down with groceries. She hopped up from her spot on the living room floor and took some of the bags from the woman.

"Thanks. Did you two have fun at the playground?"

"Yep! Big Sister pushed me on the swings and we spun around and around on the merry-go-round," and on Elysia went as the older ones set about putting the groceries away. Serah bit her lip and worried that the kid might spill about her being part animal but she heard not a word about it. Serah thanked her lucky stars for that.

"Sounds like you had a big morning," Gracia smiled at her daughter. Then she turned to Serah, "I appreciate you looking after her, Serah."

Serah waved her off, "No problem. It's the least I could do for everything you've done for me. Plus, I think the squirt is starting to grow on me."

"Look Mommy! Big Sister colored with me even though her drawings look kinda funny," Elysia said as she held up the sheet of paper Serah had been doodling on earlier that held a bunch of deformed stick figures .

Serah sweat dropped and muttered, "Yep, growing on me like a fungus."

She helped Gracia prepare lunch and they sat down to a pleasant meal. Afterwards, Serah excused herself and said she would be back later this afternoon. When she left the house, Serah headed towards the direction of the library. Ever since she had to leave yesterday her mind had kept coming back to all of the books she had read. She told herself that she was just trying to find a lead on Kayla but really she was fascinated with the item known as the Philosopher's Stone, said to be powerful enough to do anything…maybe even turning a chimera like herself into a human again.

Using the same method as yesterday, Serah entered the library through the window. There were a few more people there than the last time and that made her somewhat nervous. She fought to keep her cool and act like she belonged there. If she didn't freak out then no one should so much as glance her way.

She found the same section she browsed through yesterday and mused to herself, _Where to begin…This one? Nah, not what I'm looking for. How about this one? Uh no, too many big words. This one? Arg! Couldn't they just put more pictures in them or something?_

Serah sighed and continued to scan through the shelves of books but to her extreme disappointment she did not find a book labeled, 'Reversing the Chimera Process for Dummies'. It would have been a big help though.

Resigned to her fate, Serah braced herself and picked a few books that looked useful. She'd just have to read one after another until she came across something. For the next couple of hours she scoured over volumes of utterly useless _junk_! But she kept researching and didn't give up, albeit she did wonder who in their right mind had taken the pointless amount of time to write all of this crap. Some of it was interesting though, like the good bits she found on the Philosopher's Stone. But those good bits were far and in between.

She had taken all of the interesting sounding books to a table where she skimmed through them for hours but finally she stood and collected them in a large stack to take back where they belonged. Serah walked carefully with the books in her arms and was unprepared when someone rounded the corner of one of the books shelves. The two collided and the books scattered on the floor.

"Hey! Watch where you're going next time shrimp!" Serah fumed at the blonde midget. She was unprepared for what happened next.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL HE COULD FIND SHADE UNDER A BLADE OF GRASS?"

* * *

><p><strong>I wonder who that could be...<strong>

**Origially there was gonna be a lot more in this chapter but then it would have been too long so I cut it off here and save it for the next chapter. Hopefully I won't take as long to update next time. Until then my furry friends!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yo! Sorry it took so long to update. I've been having...mental difficulties. Heh, to tell the truth I got writer's block towards the end of this and couldn't figure out how to end the chapter. I finally got my muse on though and finished it. WHO HA!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14:<strong>

(-Kayla-)

"…so?"

I held up my hand to hush Al. My ears twitched as I strained them to hear for any signs of movement out in the hall. Nothing.

I turned to the suit of armor and nodded, "He's gone. I can't hear his footsteps anymore."

"Great!" Al chirped enthusiastically. He opened his chest plate and reached in to retrieve a little black and white fur ball. The kitten gave a relieved meow, happy to be out of its confined space. In the early hours of that morning, Al and I had returned to the hotel along with our hidden friend. After a short nap, I woke up minutes before Ed did and once the blonde was fully awake he decided that the day would be best spent going over the chimera sighting reports. He had just left a few moments ago to retrieve them from the library, none the wiser about the kitten stowing away in Al's armor. I didn't think I would be able to but I was immensely enjoying sneaking around with Alphonse in our mission to hide the stray from his older brother. I found myself grinning at it all.

"You should do that more often," Al said, rousing me from my thoughts. I cocked my head to the side in a silent question and he explained, "Smile. It suits you."

I felt my cheeks warm and for the life of me couldn't find a proper verbal response. So I hid my face behind my bangs to avoid Al's careful gaze and planted myself on the couch, folding my legs under myself gracefully. I pinched my arm in an effort to get a hold of myself. Before I had spent those long, grueling months in the lab I had been a timid girl, always easy to blush and more than a little unsure of myself. Since becoming a chimera I had lost most of that part of me, the only timid feelings remaining ones mixed with an extreme fear and caution. Although, the more I stayed here with the boys the more like my old self I was feeling. I didn't like feeling so shy but it was a vast improvement over the fearfulness.

The kitten jumped into my lap, nuzzling me and seeking affection. I gave a tender half smile and fully obliged. Al sat on the other end of the couch, watching us. I tried not to let that unnerve me or even wonder about _why_ it unnerved me in the first place.

"So I get why cats are attracted to me," I began in hopes of easing the tense atmosphere. I gestured to the feline who was now contently purring in my lap to further imply what I had just said. "But what about you attracts cats? From how critical Edward's reacted I can tell you find a lot of strays."

Al laughed, rubbing his neck self consciously, "Oh that? I like all animals really but I guess there's just something about cats I really like. It probably has something to do with Brother."

I looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. He was staring fondly at the kitten in my lap like he was reminiscing.

"Ed was the first one to bring a kitten home. He had found it out in the rain and begged our mom to keep it but she said we didn't have the means to keep a pet and that he was too young to take care of it. I was watching from the other room and saw the whole thing. I went with Brother to put it back where he found it but I kept going back there to feed the kitten with food I snuck from the kitchen. Eventually the kitten grew up and I guess he wandered somewhere else cause I never saw it after that… That was around the time mom died…"

I had slowed in my petting as I listened to him. His voice held many things, among them was yearning and regret. I stared at him as I tried to understand his feelings. I'd never experienced the bond a child has with its mother. So how does it feel exactly to lose a mother? Was it different than losing a sibling? A friend? Would I feel Alphonse and Edward's pain if I truly lost Serah?

"What's it like? Having a mom?" I asked him softly.

He puzzled over my question, coming quickly to the realization that I was trying to comprehend his feelings since I had never known my mother. It was hard to judge due to his lack of expressions but I think he was touched that I was trying to understand. "Mom was…the greatest person in the world. She'd always be smiling; even when she was scolding us she couldn't stay mad for long. I can't ever remember her acting selfishly, especially for Brother and me. She did everything for us, despite her own pain of dealing with our dad leaving. She was always there for us. We never had to worry. If we were scared she'd sing to us. And when we'd perform alchemy she would tell us how proud she was. Whenever I was around her I just felt so happy and loved and safe…"

My lips curved upward as I imagined such a woman. While listening to Al I sat there quietly in rapt attention, my chin resting on my fists as my elbows were propped up on my legs. Even the kitten seemed to be listening from his place on my head. Not sure how he got there though, and I wouldn't have even noticed it had Al not pointed it out.

"Aw! That's adorable!" Al cooed. "I wish I had a mirror to show you how cute you look right now!"

To my astonishment, I gave a startled, "_Mew!_" and had to look away as my cheeks colored a nice shade of red. The blush deepened when I couldn't stop my tail from _wagging_ with a pleased air. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment. Al took my reaction the wrong way.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm making you uncomfortable! I didn't mean to. Please don't switch!"

I peeked at him from between my fingers and had to hide a smile at how genuinely concerned he looked. The least I could do was swallow down my shyness and reassure him. "No, it's okay Alphonse. It's not like that. I usually only switch when I'm afraid. Right now I'm just…well…I'm just not used to receiving compliments…" I let my sentence trail off in a subdued mumble, not daring to look up from fidgeting with my sleeves.

"Oh, that's all?" his voice held both relief and amusement. "So you won't switch if I tell you how cute you are?"

My blush deepened and my stomach did a weird flip-flop, causing me to stammer, "N-no. I s-suppose not."

A hand entered my field of vision and slowly reached towards me so as not to startle me. I didn't flinch when he gently lifted my chin to face him. My breathing ceased and the moment seemed frozen as he said, "Good. Cause you are, ya know."

Then his hand slid away and I abruptly began to breath again. For the first time I noticed how fast my heart was racing and it worried me. I may have acted shy in the past but it had never been _this _bad. _Oh Alphonse, what are you doing to me?_

"Thank you," I replied in a breath of a whisper but he heard me. My skin still felt hot so I tried to change the subject to a safer ground. "Speaking of my switches, shouldn't we be working on a way for me to control them?"

He chuckled, "Alright then." He reached over to pluck the kitten carefully off of my head, having went to sleep and on the edge of falling off. Al placed the little guy in between us so softly that he never woke up. "If you want to control your switches we have to face the source of them. You said that when you're afraid you'll usually switch. I think we should have you face your fears little by little until you can overcome it."

I blanched, "I don't think I like the sound of that."

"I didn't mean for you to do anything dangerous. Remember when we were looking for Serah and you became overwhelmed by the large crowds on the streets? Well, maybe we should start off there."

"Like, walk around Central while I try not to avoid people and not freak out at the same time?"

"Exactly! And if you start to feel a switch come on try to fight it and keep calm."

I nodded slowly. It was a sound plan and had potential. "Okay. Let's try it."

* * *

><p>(-Serah-)<p>

She stood there and gaped at the fuming blonde guy that had just yelled at her. After a moment Serah burst into loud guffaws, holding her sides as tears formed at her eyes.

"What the hell's so funny?!" the blonde huffed angrily.

"You! Dear God, that was hysterical!" Serah said, still laughing. She attempted to get a hold of herself and, wiping a tear from her eye, she came to a decision, "Alright. You made me laugh so I guess I won't maim you for running into me. I won't even make you apologize."

"Apologize? You're the one who should be apologizing to me for yelling at me one moment and then laughing at me the next. Are you mental?"

To his surprise, she snorted, "I wouldn't doubt it." Serah bent down to retrieve the books scattered on the floor, giving the blonde furtive glances. He looked like a regular kid; long blonde hair tied in a braid, a bright red coat that just screamed I'm-a-rebel, with black clothes underneath. However, Serah's eyes caught the shine of the chain going into his pocket, a sure sign that this kid was a full-fledged State Alchemist. There could be no other conclusion as to what he was doing in the National Central Library, despite his young appearance. Damn, now they had kids doing the military's dirty work? Did those bastards have any sense of morality?

Serah gathered her books up, annoyed that the guy didn't even offer to help but relieved at the same time. She didn't want him seeing just what she had been reading up on. He might get suspicious and connect the dots together. So she made sure to turn the covers upside down and away from his prying eyes.

"Well, it's been real!" Serah began cheerfully and went to pass him but halted as his scent hit her. The boy had already begun to walk away and Serah had to snatch his sleeve to get him to stop.

Startled, the boy whipped back around to her, "What now?"

Invading his personal space, Serah leaned towards him and gave an audible sniff, "There's something about you that smells familiar. Have we met before?"

"W-what?!" the boy stammered, his face flaming.

Just then, Serah's nose caught a waft of another familiar scent coming their way. If he caught her here in a place like that there would be no getting around the man's questions. Without preamble, Serah released the confused boy and fled down the aisle. The fox chimera hid a couple rows down and, with her extraordinary hearing abilities, listened as Maes gave the boy a cheery hello.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you here Edward."

"Yeah…" the boy answered somewhat distractedly, seeming to be shaking off his odd encounter with Serah. She snickered at that. She just loved to mess with people. "What are you doing here Lt. Colonel?"

"Oh just picking up some files for an arson case I'm working on. You?"

"I was on my way to get the chimera sighting reports. Thought they might be useful."

"I heard about you getting that case. I guess it makes sense."

"I suppose," Edward replied irritably. It sounded as if working on this case was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

It surprised Serah that a shrimp like him would be in charge of hunting her and the other escaped chimeras down. She thanked her lucky stars that he hadn't seen any of the books she was snooping through, otherwise he would have for sure gotten into her business. She'd have to make sure to avoid him in the future…which Maes wasn't making easy when he was issuing out dinner invites.

"Gracia's making lasagna tomorrow night! You should bring Al over and we'll make it a party!"

"I don't know. I've got a lot of work to do," Edward sounded reluctant.

"Oh! And look at these pictures of Elysia I just got developed! She's gotten so big and her cuteness is growing every day!" Serah could imagine Maes shoving a bundle of pictures at the poor boy's face.

Edward eventually had enough and relented, "Okay, okay! We'll come over!"

"Great! I'll let the girls know to expect you." By the sound of Maes's footsteps he was walking away.

Edward grumbled something under his breath and stomped away.

Serah figured the coast was clear now but didn't want to push her luck. It sounded like Maes had left the building but Edward was still on the prowl. It wouldn't due her any good to stick around. So she returned the books back to where they belonged, all the while thinking about the exchange between the man and the boy.

_So a State Alchemist and his brother are coming over for dinner tomorrow_, Serah mused. She would have to either stay up in the guest bedroom or find a reason to stay out of the house that night. That would be the safest course of action and yet, it didn't really appeal to her. She'd much rather stick around for the dinner party and possibly get some information out of Edward. Maybe manipulate the conversation towards the case he's working on and get him to divulge some things.

Then Serah smacked her head at her own stupidity, _You idiot! The first thing he'll do if he sees you is ask what you were doing at the library, right in front of Maes. Stop being such a dumbass!_

Serah snuck out of the library, still pondering what to do. Her thoughts strayed to the familiar scent that had lingered around the boy. It had been faint but she just _knew _it from somewhere, although she also knew she couldn't have met Edward. She would have remembered a kid like that. But his name did sound familiar. Maybe she knew the brother, Al was it? Hm…where has she heard those names before?

She put the pieces together slowly. Brothers, Edward and Al; Edward being a young State Alchemist and being assigned to investigate about the chimeras in Central; what Maes said about it making sense that Edward would be the one that it was assigned to. It all added up. Edward and Alphonse Elric were the guys who had infiltrated laboratory five on their own and had subsequently been the reason for her current freedom. Heh, these guys couldn't be too bad then, right? Edward even sounded put out about being assigned this particular case.

Serah shook herself and reminded herself that he was still a State Alchemist with the military. As a rule, she didn't give soldiers the benefit of the doubt. She was even wary of Maes and the man seemed like the most easy-going cheerful family man in the world! So talking with these boys were out of the question…but stalking them wasn't.

The fox chimera grinned. Tomorrow night was gonna be interesting.

* * *

><p>(-Padma-)<p>

She stood in the alley beside the hotel, confirming she was a hundred percent positive. The mouse chimera smiled gleefully. Yes, this had to be her. The feline scent was strong in this area. Serah's friend had to be somewhere inside.

Instead of venturing inside, Padma shied away from the building. She'd go tell Serah first of what she'd found. The older girl certainly possessed courage that she herself lacked. She'd be brave enough to search inside. Plus, it would be more prudent since Serah could look normal. Padma just had to go find her and they could come back here together. And maybe once Serah was reunited with her friend Padma could ask the both of them to help her find Gillian.

Padma slinked down the shadows of Central, ghosting her way down alleys without a sound. The twelve-year-old had only talked to Serah once but had learned after their conversation of where she was staying. She didn't remember the address but she could still sniff her out as she had last time.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of the young girl's neck rose and she stiffened in response. Padma whirled around and peered down the seemingly innocent empty alley. Something was wrong. She wasn't alone.

Padma fled, jumping onto a trash can to reach a second story window ledge. Before she could haul herself up to the roof, something snagged her jacket. With a squeal that sounded anything but human, Padma fell back to the concrete. She winced and scurried away from the figure that had pulled her down.

"Hey, relax there Padma! It's me."

With tear filled red eyes, Padma looked up at her presumed attacker. She'd know that voice anywhere. "G-Gillian?"

Gillian gave her a happy closed mouth grin, a fang poking out under her lip. Her eyes were pools of onyx jewels, just as dark as her tapered midnight hair. Her face had changed somewhat since becoming a chimera, taking on more of a wolfish appearance. But Gillian herself had never changed, still as determined as ever.

Padma gave a cry and launched herself at her friend. Gillian patted her head and made soothing whispers to the younger girl. Though not related, Gillian had always taken care of Padma like a little sister when they lived in Aquarion. The wolf chimera was four years older and always felt it was her duty to protect the fragile, tender hearted Padma ever since she had initially rescued her from a group of bullies. They had been happily stuck together ever since.

"I w-was s-so worried! I was s-scared that you…that you…" Padma trailed off into sobs that shook her frail frame.

"Shh, I'm here now. You know I'll always find you." Gillian gently pushed the small girl back and used her thumbs to wipe at the tears on her cheeks. "I'm glad you're okay, little bit."

Padma swiped at her face with her sleeves to rid herself of the remaining wet streaks and sniffled, "What about you? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Have you been eating?"

"Honestly, shouldn't _I_ be the one asking you that?" Gillian rolled her eyes but smiled.

Ignoring her question, Padma stomped her foot impatiently, "Well? Are you?"

She grinned, her heart warming at the sight of the younger girl. Padma was a shy little thing to everyone she met, with Gillian being the only exclusion. The girl was as protective of her as Gillian was of Padma, not to mention how Padma could get downright motherly at times.

"Yes, I'm fine. Stop being such a worrywart."

Padma's lips tugged up and she hugged her again, "Good. I missed you. And now I can tell Serah that I found you."

"Serah? Did you go off and replace me while I was gone?" The question was meant as a joke but there was an undertone that Padma couldn't put her finger on.

"No. She's a chimera like us that I met a couple days ago. She was looking for her friend too so we promised we'd keep an eye out for each other. I was actually just on my way to tell her that I found her friend."

Gillian smiled eagerly, showing her sharp canines, "Any chance you'd take me to see this Serah?"

Padma frowned, studying the older girl, "But…"

"But what?"

She shook her head as if to clear it, "It's just that I thought you'd be against it. I figured you'd want to get out of the city as soon as possible…Gillian, has something happened?"

Her smile faltered, "What do you mean, little bit?"

Padma crossed her arms, "You're hiding something from me. You know you can't hide things from me. I can always tell."

A look crossed Gillian's face that let the younger girl know that she was cursing in her head. She shuffled from foot to foot guiltily, "I should have known that you'd know something was up. You always did have a sharp eye."

"Gillian…" Padma said, urging her to answer her.

"It's not anything bad really. I just met some people who want to help us. They promised to keep us safe from the military. They even helped me find you. They've been great to me since they found me."

Padma's expression was anything but certain, "What kind of people do you mean? Who would want to help us?"

"Some humane animal rescue group society kinda thing," Gillian shrugged. "They're into giving charity and I'm not averse to milking it for all it's worth."

"They'd really help us? Just like that?" hope gleamed in her red eyes.

"Yep! And not just us. They want to help the others like us. Just trust me on this. So tell me where these chicks are at so we can help them out too."

Hesitantly, afraid that it was too good to be true, Padma told her. This was Gillian. Gillian always took care for her. She knew what was best. Things would be alright now.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

"We should remember to ask Mrs. Hughes if we can take some leftovers home with us. That way we can bring it back some dinner for Kayla," Al said as he and Ed walked down the sidewalk. It had been yesterday when Ed had come back to the hotel in a disgruntled state, complaining about how they had to go to the Hughes's home for dinner the next day. Al was excited since they hadn't been over in a long while and he knew that secretly Ed was pleased as well, but there was just one problem. They couldn't bring Kayla over with them, for obvious reasons. She had opted to just stay at the hotel until they returned but Al still felt a bit guilty for leaving her by herself.

"How thoughtful of you," Ed said with a wolfish grin. "I'm sure Kayla will be very happy. She might even reward you with a little kiss."

"Brother!"

"Haha, relax Al! I was only joking," Ed laughed as he ran away with a flustered suit of armor on his heels.

This hadn't been the first time that Edward had teased him so. The blonde had taken to giving him pointed looks and knowing grins whenever Kayla wasn't looking. It made Al extremely uncomfortable and even more awkward than usual around the girl herself. He felt so embarrassed about it but then Kayla would just look up at him with big eyes and cock her head to the side, something Al found incredibly endearing, and he'd just lose himself in those amused pools of green. In those times Al would feel the overwhelming urge to just hug the kitty girl!

Before Al had the chance to exact his revenge, Ed ran up to the house and rang the doorbell. Little Elysia answered it, her smiling face faltering for a moment before she beamed up at them, "Big brothers!"

Al puzzled over her reaction. It was as if she were expecting someone else. He wondered if there were any other guests invited other than them.

Elysia pulled the boys inside and led them to the dining room where Hughes was finishing setting the table. He greeted them cheerfully as Gracia entered the room, arms loaded with steaming food, and did the same.

As they sat down Al noticed there was an extra place set up for someone, deepening his suspicions.

"Mr. Hughes? Were you expecting someone else?" Al asked, hoping that it wouldn't be the colonel. Not that he found the man unbearable but his brother did and their bickering could get out of hand at times.

"As a matter of fact, yes! She's been staying here with us for the past few days."

"Poor thing didn't have anywhere to go so we insisted she stay here," Gracia finished explaining.

That's when Elysia chimed in, "Big Sister left earlier today to find her friend but she said she'd be back. Right Daddy?"

"Sure did, pumpkin." Then Hughes dropped his fork with a horror-struck expression, "I can't believe I didn't realize sooner."

Al and Ed exchanged a look and the older of the two asked, "What do you…"

"I haven't taken any pictures of you together! As soon as your big sister comes home Elysia we're gonna fix that!"

"Yay! And Ed and Al can be in them too!" Elysia cheered.

Ed groaned, "Elysia, you're just as heartless as your father."

Everyone then began to dig into the mouthwatering lasagna. Al asked Gracia for the recipe and began jotting it down in his book of foods that he would eat once he regained his body.

Of course, the peace didn't last for long.

The windows shattered with incoming gunfire, causing the occupants of the house to yell out in surprise and duck for cover. Things were as chaotic as a war zone. Al grabbed a crying Elysia and held her with his body between her and the window. Ed ushered them into the corner and from there Al could see Hughes and Gracia across the room huddled in their own corner. A nasty gash marred Hughes's shoulder, probably from throwing himself in front of his wife when the shots were first fired. Gracia was looking around with wide eyes as Hughes crouched in front of her protectively with his gun at the ready.

"Is Elysia okay?" Gracia called above the sound of gunfire.

Despite her crying, Elysia was perfectly fine. "She's okay, just frightened," Al assured her.

"Mommy!" the little girl wailed.

"Elysia, be a good girl for Mommy and stay there with your big brothers," Gracia consoled her. Then she turned to her husband, "Maes, what in the world is going on?"

"I have no idea," he replied, his gaze slipping over to the boys, "Unless you two have something to do with this?"

From the look on Ed's face he was about to give a snappy retort when the front door was bust down and people stormed the house. They were all dressed in black, wearing masks, and armed with assault rifles. The first one aimed to shoot directly at Ed but a shot from Hughes made the man drop his gun and grasp at his leg. Two more men readied their guns beside their fallen comrade.

Acting swiftly, Al handed Elysia over to his brother and rushed the armed men. He grabbed the gun of the first one, the bullets ricocheting off his armor plating and actually hitting the guy in the arm. With both the gun and the man holding onto it, Al spun in a circle and knocked the other one aside. With them down for the moment, Al quickly ran to the open doorway and, drawing an alchemy circle, closed and barricaded the door. When he turned around he found the intruders starting to get back up. They never had a chance though.

Another armed man came flying down the staircase as if someone had thrown him down. Another one followed after him but this time he slid down the stairs with an unidentified girl riding him like a surfboard. She hopped off of him and danced to the side of the pile of men.

Al stared dumbfounded at the girl. Her long red hair whipped around her shoulder as she turned to everyone else and grinned, "Ladies and gentlemen, the shit has officially hit the fan."

* * *

><p><strong>She sure does know how to make an entrance. Three guesses as to who <em>she<em> is. XD**

**I must give a shout out to Rokuchuchu for letting me borrow his characters Padma and Gillian. They're a lot like how Roku created but I changed Padma's looks somewhat and Gillian's as well as making Gillian into a chimera. If you didn't catch on, Gillian is a wolf chimera. ...Hm, I just noticed that all the chimeras in this story are females... Oh well, it's just how things turned out I guess.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

(-Padma-)

None of this made any sense.

There had never been a reason to doubt Gillian before. Doubt _could not_ exist in Padma when it came to Gillian. That would mean that she couldn't trust her, and Padma trusted the older girl with her _life_.

So…why now? What was going on?

Confusion overcame Padma, making the small girl more insecure than ever. Gillian had taken her to meet the people she claimed helped her. She also claimed they were trustworthy. Then why had she told Padma not to speak to them? To stay in Gillian's sight no matter what? The people themselves…they unnerved Padma, although they showed no hostility. They completely ignored her. What's more, they didn't pay much mind to Gillian either. They listened to her explain how Padma knew the locations of two other chimeras and they set out immediately in several cars with Gillian and Padma leading the way.

Padma had been nervous, but she wanted to help in any way she could. Gillian said this was a good thing. So Padma led them to the area she knew Serah was staying in. She pointed out the correct house, and for some strange reason, Gillian did not want to go in. She had smiled and said, "Let these guys handle it. Besides, we gotta catch up to that other girl, right? Don't want her to slip away." Padma didn't think this to be a good idea. What if Serah felt threatened by these strangers? Even if they had good intentions. It would have been best to go in with them and explain the situation. Instead, they remained in the car and left to the hotel where she'd seen Serah's friend. Many of the men had stayed behind, and in the back of Padma's mind she wondered why they needed so many people. The same went for the rest of the people Gillian and Padma were with. There had to be at least eight…

When they arrived at the hotel, Gillian opted to remain in the vehicle, saying that Padma should as well. As the strangers around them prepared to go in, Padma gave Gillian an incredulous stare, "Why Gillian? Wouldn't it make Kayla feel better if there were others like her with her? She might get scared…"

Gillian gave an unconcerned wave, "Relax, little bit. She'll be okay. These guys, they're adults. They don't like kids getting in on their business. They like to do things their way. You know how silly grown ups can be." She rolled her eyes, as if annoyed.

"But…that's never mattered before," Padma mumbled to herself. Gillian had never been the type to listen to adults when she didn't agree with them. Yes, Gillian could be respectable when called for, but in a situation like this she was more likely to brush aside the adults' orders and charge in where she felt she was needed. Why was Gillian being so submissive to them? Why was she acting weird?

Padma watched as the team of people went to the hotel, for some reason splitting up to go in each entrance. Why would they do that? Were they trying to find the room faster? Padma had told them which room it was. It seemed a little over the top to her. These people took things too seriously. They appeared like average, run of the mill pedestrians. If she didn't know any better, looking out the car window, she would mistake them for being normal customers intending to get a room at the hotel. Something still felt off to the twelve year old.

A minute had gone by, a tense minute of silence, and Padma had come to a decision. If Gillian wasn't stepping up to the plate, then she would. Again, the strangeness of the situation made her queasy. It was like their roles were suddenly reversed, Gillian being the cooperative one and Padma wanting to push the line of obedience. But Gillian had said they were good people, right? What's the worst that could happen? All Padma wanted to do was make this easier on Kayla.

"Padma?!" Gillian choked out as the younger girl slid out of the car and began walking across the street to the hotel. None of the strangers had stayed behind to stop them, though Padma didn't know why they would need to be stopped. Were they worried about regular people seeing their chimera features?

Padma had reached the sidewalk when Gillian grabbed her elbow to bring her to a halt.

"What the hell are you doing? Get back in the car, you idiot!" Gillian yelled at her. This was new. Gillian didn't usually yell at her unless something was really wrong. It made Padma feel so guilty, thinking that she had done something bad. She wasn't sure where Gillian's sudden frustration was directed towards. She sounded nearly…desperate with worry. Why was she worried? So confusing…

"I know what you said, but Kayla's going to be scared! She's like us. And if strangers suddenly came up to me, I don't think I'd even wait to hear what they had to say. What if she panics? What if she runs away before we can help her?" Padma pleaded with Gillian by giving her a begging stare.

Gillian took a calming breath, glancing nervously around, maybe for people who might overhear them, "I told you not to worry, Padma. They know what they're doing. I know you want to help but the best way for you to do that is by waiting patiently in the car."

Padma couldn't believe that. For the first time she couldn't believe _Gillian_. Things weren't adding up like they should be.

Padma took off in a run, hanging a left around the corner of the building. She wouldn't go through the front entrance, too nervous about the amount of people in the main lobby. No, she would go through the back or side door if there was one.

"Padma! Damn it, stop! Get back here right now!" Gillian yelled at her, chasing her.

Something in Padma snapped. She stopped in the side alley and, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer, she rounded on Gillian, "_Why_? Tell me that much, Gillian. You're acting weird, and those _people_ are acting weird. What's going on? What is it you don't want me to see?"

Gillian froze, her mouth slightly open and her onyx eyes unable to tear away from Padma's blood red ones. Hesitation was written all over her, something Padma was unused to seeing in Gillian. Gillian always had a plan, an answer, a reason. Why was she looking like she was _searching _for an answer? Didn't she already know?

_Don't lie to me Gillian. Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie. I can't take it_.

Words had yet to form on Gillian's tongue when Padma's ears twitched at a loud sound from above them. The mouse chimera glanced up, her eyes unintentionally seeking the familiar window belonging to the room Kayla was staying in. Another muted thud reached her ears as she saw a body be tossed into the window pane.

Padma's eyes widened in horror, recognizing the figure to be that of a chimera. It was Kayla, and she had dodged a grab made by one of the men they had come here with.

"Sh-she's fighting them!" Padma gasped. "Gillian, she's scared! I told you she wouldn't wait to hear them out!"

Gillian glanced up at the window, frustration rolling off her in waves. She tugged on Padma's arm, "Come on, Padma." She tried to pull Padma away but Padma was having none of it.

Wrenching out of her grip, she made a beeline for the side door, "We've got to help her, Gillian!"

"Padma, _no_!" Gillian called out to her. Padma didn't wait for her, knowing that Gillian would follow her in. The problem was that Gillian wanted to keep Padma _away_, not go in and help. Why? What was she afraid of?

Padma rushed up a flight of stairs and ran out into the second floor hallway with Gillian hot on her heels. She ran down the hall and zeroed in on the only open doorway and skidded to a halt there.

She had only wanted to help. But…now Padma saw why Gillian wanted to keep her away. Gillian didn't want her to see… If only Padma knew what she was actually seeing. All she knew was this was wrong.

Padma took in the destroyed room, fear skittering down her spine in a near painful series of shudders.

"No! Let go!" Kayla screamed, her inhuman eyes darting around in fright, cat ears slicked back against her head, half her face covered in blood. She wasn't much older than Padma herself…

Padma's head shook slowly back and forth as she stared in a trance, her long white braids swinging from side to side.

They held Kayla down, smothering her cries with a cloth. Soon, her flailing limbs starting losing their strength, her eyelids fluttering closed.

This was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, _wrong_.

"_Padma_!" Gillian hissed at her, trying to drag her away, but Padma couldn't move nor look away.

"Hey, what are you doing here?!" one of the men asked, having spotted them.

Padma broke out of her trance, barreling into the room and into one of the men holding a now unconscious Kayla, "Stop it! You're hurting her!"

What was this? What was going on? Padma did not know. She hardly knew what she was even doing. She just wanted everything to stop.

The man grunted as she knocked him off his feet, his head hitting against the overturned coffee table painfully.

"You little freak," the man seethed, staggering to his feet.

Padma stood there, her legs refusing to move as she looked up into the angered face of a man she instinctively knew could and would kill her.

He grabbed her throat, picking her up easily and causing her to squeak a high pitch sound. Before she could begin to miss the air he was choking out of her, he threw her into the small bookshelf. An acute pain in her shoulders blossomed and she whimpered. The guy tried to kick her but she rolled out of the way and onto her feet. She wanted to run but they still had Kayla!

"Let her go!" she yelled, her words coming out more like a sobbing plea. She picked up a wooden chair and swung for one of the guys near Kayla. The legs were caught, the man barking at the others to stop Padma. One of them backhanded her, forcing her to lose grip of the chair. Another one pulled out a handgun.

In hindsight she never should have tried to fight them. She was not a fighter. She hated violence and the sight of blood made her stomach churn. Every bone in her tiny body was against confrontation. All of this made her want to hide. And she was against eight grown men to boot. But then…what kind of person would she be if she didn't try? Fighting was okay, when it came to fighting for something worth protecting. Gillian had taught her that much.

"_No_!" Gillian roared, grabbing the guy's arm and causing the shot to miss its mark. Barely a sound was produced by the gun. It had a silencer then? Padma could barely register any of this, so focused on Gillian was she. "You said you wouldn't hurt her. You _swore_! I did everything you wanted!"

"We promised not to kill her," the man with the gun corrected. "But when she gets in our way, she becomes a liability. Kind of like how _you're_ being." Then he ordered his comrades, "Now subdue that pesky chimera already."

"No!" Gillian growled, her voice distorting as her face changed shape. A muzzle formed and her eyes began glowing a terrifying shade of yellow. Her razor sharp teeth bit down into the junction where shoulder met neck, the sounds of flesh tearing almost as sickening as the splash of blood that went flying. The guy's screams filled the air.

The rest of them hurried to his rescue, attempting to pull Gillian off of the screaming man. None of them were making any headway, Gillian's jaws refusing to unclamp from her prey. Nothing besides Gillian herself could make her release him, so it confused Padma when Gillian suddenly let go with a sharp gasping growl. The men gripped her tightly, pulling her off to the side and she could only stumble back in their hold.

Now that Gillian was facing her, Padma could see why she had let go. The front of Gillian's shirt was swiftly becoming soiled in her own blood. The guy…he must have _shot_ her…

"Miss Ana's not gonna like this," one of them said. Padma couldn't tell which one, her vision tunneling. All she could really focus on was Gillian.

Gillian, her face and muzzle covered with dark fur and blood, lifted her head to meet Padma's gaze. Her yellow eyes screamed at her with regret and fear. "Run, Padma!" she gasped out desperately. Those yellow eyes faded to black once more. Then they closed for what could be the last time. Gillian now hung limp in their grasp.

Tears spilled from Padma's eyes, her heart thundering in her chest. She spun on her heel and raced for the door, ducking under one of the men's lunge for her. They couldn't catch her; she was too fast.

Her feet pounded into the floor. She didn't look back for fear of what she might see.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The whole room gaped at the girl who had surfed down the stairs on the back of one of the intruders. Everyone except Elysia, that is. Young Elysia had no idea what was going on and was crying into Edward's shoulder, gripping his shirt fiercely. Ed absentmindedly patted her back as he gawked at the grinning newcomer. Her posture radiated the confidence of someone acquainted with fighting, the knocked out guys at her feet telling him that she was adept in combat.

_That's the girl from the library_, Ed realized with a start. Add that fact to her fighting abilities, he concluded that she must be affiliated with the military in some way. A regular soldier? A State Alchemist maybe? Even so, that didn't explain her presence here. Or who the unconscious shmucks were. Guess he'd have to ask her. And by ask he meant demand answers.

Before he could say anything, Gracia exclaimed, "Serah?!"

"Serah…?" Ed muttered, the name ringing a bell. Come to think of it, Hughes and the rest had mentioned something about a girl staying with them. That would explain why the name sounded familiar, except they had never mentioned her by name.

"Where'd you come from?" Hughes asked, his words being heard just fine due to the lapse in gunfire. Ed didn't like how quiet it'd suddenly become.

Serah rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged, "Oh, I've been chilling upstairs for a couple hours now."

Hughes blinked, "Upstairs?" They apparently weren't aware their guest had returned at some point.

"Are you alright?" Gracia asked, scanning her over attentively.

"Yeah, they got the jump on me, but I don't think they were expecting me to fight back," Serah smirked, thumping the toe of her shoe into the side of one of the men's bodies. Her rich, brown eyes surveyed the room and zeroed in on Hughes. Her face fell, "Oh God, Maes! You're bleeding!"

"Well look at that," he glanced down as if just noticing his wounded shoulder, obviously teasing her.

Serah balled her fists and growled, "Stop being a smartass while I'm being concerned over your health!"

"_Serah_! Don't use those dirty words in front of my little girl!" he gasped, appalled.

"Give it a rest, you guys!" Ed barked, standing up and letting Elysia down on her feet beside him where she clung to his leg. He needed his hands free in case he had to fight or use alchemy. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Ed's right," Alphonse agreed, causing all eyes to fall on him. "Someone had to be shooting from outside. There's more where these guys came from."

Serah's expression evened out, then she nodded, "You got a point, um…armor dude." Al went to correct her and she interrupted him, "Proper introductions can wait. We've got some butts to kick. So what should we do, Maes?"

"First things first, we need to get a call out to-"

Serah let out a sharp shriek. Turns out the guy she had been nudging with her foot earlier was not as unconscious as they believed. He had stabbed the red-head in her thigh with a knife, the silver blade digging in deep. Al moved to help her, making the mistake of crossing in front of the window and the shooter's line of sight. Shots rang out and Al's helmet went flying off. In the same moment, another armed intruder appeared from the staircase to attack Serah from behind.

"_Damn it!_" Ed seethed in irritation. Hurriedly, he clapped his hands and transmuted the table to cover both of the dining room's windows, affectively blocking the shooter's view. Hughes took advantage of this and darted over to help Serah, shooting at the large man who had Serah in a headlock just as a headless Al was knocking the guy on the floor out, and this time for sure. Meanwhile, Gracia rushed across the room to sweep Elysia up into her arms. With Elysia in safe hands, Ed joined the fight as another intruder descended the stairs.

"Just how many of you guys are there?!" Ed grunted, disarming his opponent. He gave two swift punches that sent the masked man stumbling backwards. With his gun knocked across the room, the man resorted to a nasty looking knife.

"Okay then, have it your way," Ed said. The knife's blade cut the tips of blonde hair as Ed leaned out of reach. The swing left the guy open, allowing Edward to spin upwards and drive the heel of his boot into his opponent's temple, sending him to dreamland.

Ed shook his head. Why did the bad guys always have to choose the hard way? They never learned.

He turned around to see how his friends were faring. The rest of the enemy had been taken care of and everyone was staring at Serah (excluding Al who was tying up the unconscious men). Ed couldn't help but stare either, watching the girl coughing and massaging her sore neck as she leaned back against the archway that led into the dining room.

Her coughs subsiding, Serah glared down at the blade lying on the hardwood floor that had originally been embedded in her thigh, "Oh shit, this knife better be sterilized. I am _not_ in the mood for getting an infection and my leg falling off." Noticing the stares, she asked, "What? It's a legitimate concern."

That's not what they were staring at her for. But how could they tell her it was because she had sprouted animal ears and a bushy tail while they weren't looking? As it was, all Ed could do was gape.

Finished with his task, Al stood up and faced the group. He saw for the first time Serah's new features while Serah got an eyeful of Al's empty armor. Needless to say, they freaked out.

"AH! WHAT ARE YOU!?" they both screamed at the same time, pointing at each other.

"This is an unexpected development," Hughes commented, appearing stumped by the turn of events.

"Are you saying you didn't know she was a chimera!?" Ed raged. How could he be so ignorant of who he lets stay in his house?

"Chimera? Where?" Serah asked, glancing around the room in surprise.

"YOU'RE THE CHIMERA!" Ed, Al, and Hughes shouted at her in exasperation.

Serah jumped back a step at their loud screams. She squinted one eye as if in pain, rubbing her ear while she complained, "You people trying to make me deaf or something? Use your inside voices for…God's…sake…" Their words having caught up to her, Serah's eyes widened. Her hands scrambled for her head and, to her dismay, she found the ears there. "You…have got to be shitting me."

"I wish," Hughes said seriously. He scratched at his head, "Alchemists, gunmen, chimeras… And my family's stuck right in the middle of this freak show."

Serah winced, her ears twitching sporadically and reminding Edward of how Kayla's own ears would betray her emotions…

And that's when it dawned on him who Serah really was. To think, Kayla's missing friend had been right under Hughes's nose this entire time.

"Well, I'm no more a freak than he is!" Serah snapped, waving towards Alphonse. "What the fuck is he anyway?"

"Hey!" Ed growled, his ire making his irises flame in protective fury. "That's my brother you're talking about!" Friend of Kayla's or not, that wouldn't stop him from teaching her a lesson.

"Please don't be frightened," Alphonse begged, attaching his helmet into place. "This is how I am."

Despite Al's best intentions, Serah inched backwards and stared at him, creeped out, "How are you talking? Or alive for that matter?"

"Why don't you leave the questions to us," Ed said, his tone leaving no room for negotiations.

"Alchemy," Al answered her.

Ed practically face planted on the ground, "_Alphonse!_ What'd I just say?!"

Al poked his forefingers together, "Sorry, Brother."

Great, now the serious moment had been killed. Ed huffed, "As I was saying, explain to us what a chimera from the fifth lab is doing here?"

"She said she was looking for a friend, that they had gotten separated," Hughes told him, observing Serah in a new light. "I wouldn't be wrong in assuming that this friend of yours is also a chimera, would I? No wonder you wouldn't let me help you."

Serah scowled at them, "Of course I wouldn't! The first thing you'd do is ship us back to some military lab! And why not? We're just monsters now anyway! Lab rats with no purpose other than to fulfill your sadistic little experiments!" She probably would have said more, had her yelling not irritated her abused throat. Coughs wracked through her body and she winced at the pain.

Her outburst had surprised them, causing Al's sudden question, "Do you really think of yourself like that?"

"Don't all of you?" she asked, her voice rough as she fought to stifle her coughs.

Ed's face darkened, "No. Because if I thought of you as a monster, then…" Flashes of Nina, Kayla, and finally his own brother entered his mind's eye. Alchemy had changed each of their lives. It's what alchemy did; it changed things into something else. But those base elements were still there at the center. Humanity, the soul… Even when most of Nina's mind had been lost, it was still Nina.

His gaze lifted to Serah, determination setting in his features, "If I thought of you as a monster, then I'd have to think of my brother that way too. Alchemists can transmute things into different forms, but you still have your soul, don't you? That's what makes us human."

Serah hid her face behind a curtain of red hair. The fire had simmered down, giving her a apathetic appearance, "…Then what will you do with me?"

Hughes looked to Edward, "Well Ed? This is the assignment Roy gave you. He's going to want to hear about this."

Ed had a feeling that if he said he'd bring Serah in to Mustang, the girl would take off. They could more than likely catch her, but that's not what he wanted to do. Just because they were chimeras didn't make them monsters, nor lab rats.

"…You've got a friend out there who needs you," Ed finally concluded, causing Serah's head to jerk up as she stared at him with wide eyes. "She still needs you to find her."

Serah's shoulders stiffened, "No one mentioned my friend's gender…"

Damn it. He'd slipped up.

"We ran into her a few days ago. Said her name was Kayla." It was the truth. Not all of the truth, but the truth nonetheless. He didn't want to reveal anything to Hughes. Knowing him, he'd run off to tell the colonel.

Of course, Hughes wouldn't let things go that easily, "There's something more isn't there?"

"Why would you say that?" Ed shrugged nonchalantly. The older man wasn't buying it and neither was Serah.

"You know where she is," she accused. Anger flooded into her body, making her shake. "Tell me where she is! I swear, if you've hurt her I'll kill you!" she screamed, lunging at Edward and grabbing him by the collar of his coat. He was so startled that she managed to push him into the back of the living room couch.

Edward struggled against her, "Back off! I didn't-"

That's when one of the living room windows exploded inward. Something grazed his cheek and instinct controlled his body, his hands grabbing hold of the infuriated chimera and bringing them both down to the floor behind the relative safety of the couch.

More gunfire followed. Hughes shouted at everyone to get down. Gracia shushed Elysia who was screaming and crying in bewilderment. Ed's ears rang and he shook his head to center himself. He met his brother's gaze from where he hovered protectively in front of Gracia and Elysia. They needed to end this before someone got killed.

Beside him, Serah covered her animal ears to block out the sharp sounds. She'd forgotten her anger towards Edward in the midst of the attack and was now focusing on morphing into a full human form. The distinctly fox-like tail shrunk until it disappeared underneath the bottom of Serah's thin, orange-brown jacket. Not even Kayla, who was the most successful blend of animal and human that Ed had seen, could fully revert into a human visage. The alchemists at the fifth laboratory had succeeded in creating the perfect chimera. Ed briefly wondered how much this cost, how many lives were lost in the process, the pain and torment the victims must have suffered.

Ed shook his head again. Now was not the time to contemplate such things.

"Well Mr. Alchemist?" Serah yelled at him over the rain of bullets. Although she didn't attack him again, the animosity was still there and going strong. "Aren't you gonna do something?"

He gritted his teeth, "Maybe, if you'd get off my back so we can focus on who the real enemy is. Agreed?"

Serah frowned, but ducked lower when a shot hit the cushion above her head. "Alright, alright!" she conceded. "But when this is over you're taking me to Kayla!"

That'd been the plan anyway, but he let her think she'd won. "That's if we can make it out of here in one piece!"

"Don't jinx us now, Ed!" Hughes told him, returning fire from behind the staircase when he could.

Ed deliberated on what to do next. They needed to take out the shooters positioned outside. That meant someone would need to go out there. He wasn't doing any good indoors, so it might as well be him.

"Hughes, cover me!" Ed shouted, performing a fast crabwalk from the couch to the staircase before the man had given him the go ahead. In seconds, he was crouched behind the stairs with Hughes, and surprisingly enough, Serah had trailed behind him.

"Give a little warning next time!" Hughes berated him, scanning them over for bullet wounds as his hands deftly slid in another clip of bullets into his gun.

Ed smirked and announced, "I'm going outside to say hi to our unexpected visitors. Hey Al, hold the fort down while I'm gone."

"But Brother!" Al protested.

Hughes's glasses slid down the bridge of his nose and he stared at Ed in disbelief, "Ed, I know you're insane but you're not _stupid_. I can't let you go out there alone."

"Lighten up Hughes. I do this sorta thing all the time," Ed shrugged like it was no big deal. It was true. More times than he cared for he'd been shot at by enemies. Usually, he'd have the reassurance that Alphonse would be there to have his back, but in some circumstances they had to split up. Someone had to stay inside to protect everyone. Hughes was injured and Ed didn't want to take the chance in leaving him alone to defend everyone, so Al should stay behind. Ed could stay here and let Al go handle things, but Ed had a better chance of sneaking up on the shooters since he was smal-….a _less obvious_ target.

"Besides, he's not going alone," Serah said as if this were obvious.

Ed's eyes widened in alarm and he shook his head sporadically, "Forget that. No way am I letting you come with me."

Her eyelids formed into dangerous slits, "What, can't trust me? Afraid I'll attack you as soon as your back's turned?"

"That's not it," Ed denied honestly. "You'd be in the line of fire."

"Hellooo, already in the line of fire here," she pointed out.

Ed suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, "How about this then? They're here for you, and I'm not about to give them what they want."

Her jaw dropped, "What the hell makes you think they're here for me? There are more reasons for them to be after _you_, Mr. State Alchemist."

"Don't talk to me as if you know me!" Ed growled, thoroughly annoyed. How could someone timid and quiet like Kayla be friends with a girl so loud and headstrong? "Yes, I work for the state, but I'm well-known for being a good guy, I'll have you know."

"Yeah, when you're not blowing up stuff," Hughes muttered, his words almost being lost in the cacophony gunshots.

Ed bristled. Why could no one appreciate his good deeds? He'd only blown up a building once…

Or twice…

Or eleven times…

Serah smirked, "Bet you they're here for you, Mr. Alchemist."

"It's _Edward_," he emphasized, getting tired of her nickname for him. "And a thousand cenz says they're here for you." They had to be. It couldn't be coincidence that a human chimera was here and shady guys with guns showed up.

"You're on." Then she turned to Hughes, "Hey Maes, lemme borrow a thousand cenz."

Hughes sweatdropped, "Why are you betting if you don't have any money?"

"Honey!" Gracia called. They all turned to the other group where they had moved behind the dining room wall. Gracia was giving Hughes a worried, questioning look as she held their daughter in a comforting embrace.

"Just stay where you are!" he told her. "I'm sure one of the neighbors have called the police by now. If we can just wait it out…"

"Forget waiting. These fuckers tried to strangle me," Serah said, darting down the hall leading to the backdoor.

"Serah!" Hughes shouted after her, nearly standing up in his desperation to keep her from going outside.

"I got her!" Ed said, rushing after the idiot. This girl clearly had a death wish.

He found her hunkered down at the back door attempting to use a towel she must have snagged from the kitchen as a makeshift bandage.

"I told you, you're not going! Get back to the others," he hissed at her, watching her fail miserably at wrapping her thigh where her knife wound had soaked the thigh of her pants in blood.

"Hey _Edward_," she said his name mockingly. "Why don't you shut it? I'm going and nothing less than throwing me in a cage will stop me."

"Don't tempt me," he seethed. "You're already injured, you moron. You'd just get in the way anyway."

"You know what happens to people who underestimate me? They end up with broken bones and bruised egos. I can take care of myself."

"Obviously," Ed deadpanned. She said that…as she was epically failing to bind her thigh.

He sighed and silently snatched the towel from her. Before she could pitch a fit, he transmuted the bulky towel into something more manageable.

"Here," he offered the cloth bandages to her.

She didn't take them right away. Her body taut, she stared at them with apprehension.

He frowned, "They're not gonna bite you."

She glanced at him. At his statement, Serah regained her composure and quickly took the wrapping from him. "Right. Alchemy sets me on edge, okay?" she told him begrudgingly, accomplishing her task much faster now.

Ed would have laughed, had it not been for the meaning behind that sentence. He'd be antsy around alchemy too if he'd been subjected to experimentation by it. He wondered if Kayla had an aversion to alchemy as well but couldn't recall a time when he or Al had performed it around her.

"There. Good as new," Serah smiled wryly after she tied a knot to keep the bandages in place. "Now, let's go kick some ass."

"I don't-"

"Uh-uh, not having it," she interrupted, rudely he might add. "I know my way around the fighting block too, so don't have a cow. I can help you. This injury is no excuse; it's a flesh wound. There are at least two guys out there and they have the advantage because they know where we are. But if we can work together we can get the drop on them."

"Oh yeah? And just what did you have in mind?" he asked, mostly peeved but a little curious too (which he hated himself for by the way). And then there were the whispers in his head telling him to transmute her to the floor so he could get on with things already. It sounded awfully tempting.

Serah tapped her nose, "My animal instincts are good for _something_. They're probably hiding in the bushes and trees surrounding the house. If I get outside, I can sniff them out or hear them long before you figure out which direction the bullets shooting through your body are coming from."

The jibe at his skills was not unnoticed. But somehow, a plan already began to form in his mind. He was crazy for letting himself even consider going along with it…but bullet holes did not sound promising.

"Fine," he relented. "But you wanted this. Not me." Ed ushered her out of the way and, to his surprise, she complied, allowing him to open the door a crack and peek out. From what he saw, his plan should work…

"Well?" Serah asked impatiently from over his shoulder.

"I'm going to take their sight from them."

She paused, then let out a chuckle, "You sadistic bastard."

"Not like that," he rejected whatever bloody scenario she had in mind. "I'm going to distill the dirt on the ground to form a cloud. That way they can't see us coming."

"Yeah, I know boys are gassy, but can you really let one rip big enough for that?"

Ed's cheeks reddened as he snapped, "I'm going to use alchemy, you dolt!"

Serah blinked several times, then looked up in thought, "And here I thought I'd been called everything in the book. Dolt's a keeper."

"Let's do this before I regret it," he grumbled.

* * *

><p><strong>It's been like...what, over a year since I updated this? Man, times flies. I hope there are still people out there reading this. I know of one person, TunnelDragon, who messaged me last week telling me to get up off my butt and update this. You have him to thank because I don't think I would have updated until later on if it weren't for him.<strong>

**It's been a year, but my plans for this story haven't been forgotten. In fact, I recently talked with Rokuchuchu and some of my plans have changed for the better! Now, let's see if I can stick with _Forsaken_ long enough to actually write them out. I hope to get another chapter out within the next couple of weeks, so here's hoping!**

**...you know, looking back on this chapter, it almost seems like it's going to become an EdxOC story too with him and Serah. I actually thought about it, like what kind of character she would be most compatible with, but then I thought, "Hey, she's probably a lesbian." I toyed with the idea for a little bit, but I don't think it fits her personality. I think she'd like this certain type of guy, and I was surprised to realize who fit that certain type of guy. Jean Havoc! XD I think they'd hit it off really well, or is it just me? She always really likes or hates someone right after she meets them, and I can imagine that she's not sure what to think of Havoc, and then that throws her for a loop. **

**Last thing. If you guys were a chimera, what animal would you want to be blended with? Okay, that's it for me. See ya later my furry friends! Now scurry off and go feed a duck or something.**


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